Quantum Shift
by Manic 101
Summary: The Dialogues-to-Come have failed, and war has come to Earth. But Veda has presented a back-up plan: Time Travel. How will a new generation of Celestial Being fare in a war against Britannia, China and the EU? Will they unite the world and prepare them for the Dialogues, or will they ultimately fail like their predecessors?
1. Act 1: Operation Almark

**Disclaimer**: This is a fan-made crossover story. All non-original content belongs to the current IP owners.

* * *

Humankind was doomed.

Setsuna was fleeing the core of the enemy fleet. He had reached out to the species that had been dubbed the ELS, and tried to fulfil the Dialogues-to-Come. He had used his Gundam's Quantum Burst to talk to them using telepathy. The homeless species had seen all the progress that humanity had made to unify themselves and decided that it wasn't enough; that all the sacrifices made to achieve the world envisioned by Aeolia Schenberg was less than the ELS's desire for a new home.

Setsuna broke through the outer shell of the ELS core and flew into open space, only to be greeted by more bad news. The Earth Federation's army was being annihilated, and were being driven back to their orbital base. At this point, the small terminal on Setsuna's left chimed in.

"Setsuna," said the holographic image of Tieria Erde, "Don't panic."

Outside, the Gundam 00 Quan[T] carved its way through the enemy fleet, back towards its allies. Inside, Setsuna gazed at the terminal in lieu of stating the obvious. Tieria took the hint and clarified,

"I mean that Veda has just sent me its back-up plan."

"What is it?" said Setsuna coolly, "How does it expect us to salvage this mess?"

"We don't. We use 00 Quan[T]'s time-space manipulating FTL features to send us back in time."

Setsuna went silent as he considered the implications.

"Will it work?"

"It's our only option. I've already sent the signal to form up around the Celestial Being space station. Lockon, Allelujah and the escape pods from the Ptolemaios are already within range."

Setsuna was glad to hear his comrades were safe. He tuned the voice of Tieria out as it went on about transferring data to enable the new technique; instead he focused on combat, slicing his way through the enemy Mobile Suits. Soon enough, Setsuna arrived at the position indicated by Veda, for best catchment of allies while avoiding transporting any ELS. This position also transported most of the federation's orbital base – Celestial Being's self-titled former Headquarters.

Setsuna took a moment to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to do. Questions about the technique – How accurate was it? Would those caught get scattered? Where would the arrive? - pounded through his head. He inserted his Veda's choice of temporal coordinates – 1950 A.D. - and waited a few seconds for the optimal moment. He heard Tieria shout, "Now!"

Setsuna shouted his last hope to whoever was listening,

"Gundam 00 Quan[T]: Quantum Burst!"

* * *

**Quantum Shift  
Act 1: **Unification**  
Chapter 1: **Operation Almark

* * *

Crimson hues of blood and fire played across the water as the sun set on Japan. Ruins populated the landscape, and corpses dyed the landscape with their lifeblood. The once proud nation had been reduced to the brink of surrender. So it was that on a battered and broken coastal road into Tokyo, hidden among some abandoned military trucks and burning ruins, three cold and desperate children made their camp.

Lelouch had decided to start a fire to keep themselves warm for the night, and told Suzaku to get some fuel. The latter complained, telling Lelouch to do it himself since his last plan didn't go so well. Lelouch had objected and said that he was the leader and leaders didn't collect fuel. One stern look from the recently crippled and blinded Nunnally had set him straight.

So it was that Lelouch went off and started to rummage around in the army trucks they were hidden by for fuel. As he started to get together some cloth, oil and old bits of wood, he thought about their failed mission that day.

The group had made their way here from the telephone exchange in Tokyo. Lelouch had hoped to call home, to Cornelia or Euphie or... Someone. Anyone. Of course they had only found ruin; the building that should have brought them salvation nothing more than rubble. In retrospect he should have realised his family would abandon him after he was exiled.

He returned to the camp site to find his new family shivering next to an oil drum they had found. A few moments later the waves of heat washed over them. He stared into the fire and reflected on what this war had taught him.

He thought about Britannia, and his fire. Britannia had claimed his mother, his sister, his family and now it had claimed his adoptive country. They took and took, conquering and consuming other nations. Britannia would break each 'Area' and swiftly destroy its freedom, its rights and even its name. No-one would take a stand. No-one would protect the weak and vulnerable from this monstrosity calling itself a country.

"I swear..."

But Lelouch's declaration was cut short by a distinct rumble from the road. The boys quickly stowed themselves and Nunnally under a nearby supply van, just in time; a pair of the new Britannian super-weapons, 'Knightmare Frames', had rolled into view. There was a moment of silence before,

"I could swear I saw someone here, sir," came a deep voice over the loudspeaker.

"There were. Fire's still lit, see. Sweep the area 'n' kill anyone ya find," replied the second.

The children trembled underneath the van they had hidden under, and tears started to form in their eyes. They wouldn't kill children, would they? But as Lelouch had reasoned earlier, Britannia was like a fire. It didn't care what or who it consumed.

"Picking something up on infra-red, sir," came the first voice. "Under the van."

"Then shoot 'em, don't prattle on about it."

Tears started to from in Nunnally's eyes, prompting Suzaku to act. Before Lelouch could stop him, the Japanese youth rolled out from his cover.

"Don't shoot! We're children!"

"Children?" said the second voice, "'Cause all I see is a dog that needs putting down!"

Lelouch rolled out with Nunnally in his arms.

"He's with us! Don't kill us! Please!"

"A pair of traitors as well!" rumbled the first soldier, "Say your prayers, mongrels!"

The Frames lifted their gun arms as Lelouch's mind raced to find a way out of this. They'd probably not believe if he told them he was royalty, if they even cared in the first place. There was no running or hiding. Was it all going to end here? Before he could even declare his wish to protect the weak?

Nunnally leaned into him – as if she had a choice with her legs – and whimpered. Suzaku edged towards the two and brought his arms around them, protectively. The Knightmare's gun was now levelled at them. Lelouch squeezed his sister close and closed his eyes.

He heard a loud bang.

* * *

The immortal woman known as C.C. joined Celestial Being about ten years beforehand.

At the time, she had been working for the Britannian government as a spy. This afforded her considerable freedom to build up her connections for the order and - secretly – for Charles and Marianne. The Connection was still in the planning phase, and Marianne had just discovered she was pregnant.

All this led to C.C. deciding to leave the happy couple alone, in favour of attend a formal ball for the evening. Many big businessmen would come to talk in circles around each other for a few hours before running back home. Normally she wouldn't bother attending, but she had a mission tonight.

It was rumoured that the elusive CEO of leading Aerospace firm Fereshte would be in attendance tonight. Over the past 15 years, the company was the leader in every field it turned its hand to. Combined with an enigmatic administration, the company was always the subject of gossip and urban legend. This was further agitated by the fact that the best workers – engineers, researchers and the like - would often be promoted to an internal group called Krung Thep.

Allegedly named after an inspirational engineer the CEO had met, the Krung Thep group was one of the biggest mysteries in the kingdom. Krung Thep members would start disappearing long trips to God knows where; when questioned about their work they would simply state that they were sworn to secrecy. Anyone who infiltrated the team had an 'unfortunate accident', and without proof anyone she tried to investigate walked clean. C.C. didn't like it.

So it was that C.C. found herself in a backless dress surrounded by spineless cowards. She waited as the arrivals were listed – Standard Oil, De Beers Mining, Britannian Steel – until eventually the man she was looking for was finally announced.

"Presenting Sir Lyle Dylandy of Fereshte Aerospace and his fiancé, Lady Anew Returner."

The man in question looked to be in his late 40's, with a lined face and greying hair. He sauntered down into the ballroom with a certain grace that set C.C. on edge. This man, she could tell, was very dangerous. On his arm was a woman who looked about two thirds his age with silver hair, crimson eyes and that same threatening demeanour. She seemed to have an almost unnatural look to her, and it was clear that she was only here to look after her husband. But apparently she was alone in her observations, as the various investors at the party swarmed around the couple.

So it was that C.C. had to wait several hours putting up with drunken flirting and evasive chatter before she could initiate contact. Thankfully, her long life had taught her how to be patient. Very, very patient. But as the ball was starting to come to a end, she saw her chance.

Dylandy was alone, drinking what appeared to be whisky and watching his wife talking to several other ladies across the room. C.C. walked up to him.

"Drinking by yourself, Mister Dylandy?"

The man took a measured sip from his drink, then focused his attention onto the green haired lady next to him

"Aye. What can I do for you, Lady..."

"They call me C.C."

"Yes. So, Lady C.C., are you looking for a drink, or do you want me for business?"

"If I wanted a drink I wouldn't be asking a soon-to-be married man," said C.C.. She decided to work up to her infiltration plan. "How did you meet her?"

"I met her at work, before Fereshte. We dated for a few months before we had to... part ways."

"I take it you found each other again?"

"Aye, a couple of years ago. Thank goodness for Almark's arrogance," said Lyle. "But I'm getting distracted. If not for flirtation or gossip, you must be here on business.".

C.C. appreciated the forwardness as she said, "Indeed. I know who elusive opportunities to invest in Fereshte are. Wherever I look, I am told to look further up the chain of command. Surely you can tell me how I can do so?"

This was C.C.'s angle of attack. Fereshte had never gone public with its shares and had therefore managed to remain incredibly secretive in their operations. One of many reasons Britannia wanted to infiltrate the firm.

Lyle put down his drink and gave C.C. an intense look. The witch swore she could see a rippling golden pattern play across his iris.

"Tell me, how do you think one should go about changing the world?"

The lady known as C.C. could tell that she was being tested.

"In my experience, people need an example, a trailblazer to sound the rally cry of change. After that, a great deal of force is necessary."

Lyle looked a touch disappointed, but then his eyes seemed to ripple once again. He resumed his previous gaze

"Force?"

"Not necessarily physical. Consider the Indian Revolution against Britannia. They created a great change through their force of will."

"Aye, but then China invaded them. What do you think one would need to keep peace in this world?"

The witch considered this question carefully before saying, "I would not know. Time and time again humanity has proven unable to stay its own hand."

"And why is that the case?"

"People refuse to listen to each other, or unify for unity's sake. They refuse to understand each other, which breeds distrust and strife. Why do you ask, Mr. Dylandy?", replied the witch, as she tried to redirect the conversation.

This proved unnecessary. Lyle Dylandy merely nodded in her direction and, for a moment, she thought she could see those golden eyes again. Lyle looked at C.C., and she could tell that she had passed whatever test he had given her.

"Well then. If you're interested in investing then you should come see meat my office. Tomorrow evening?"

C.C. grinned internally. This was surely the beginning of the end for Lyle Dylandy.

* * *

Suzaku joined Celestial Being when he saw that same truth about change. But that wouldn't happen for a few months yet. He had far more immediate problems to worry about.

His attempt at protecting his adoptive family hadn't worked, and now he had doomed all three of them. Tears were forming in Suzaku's eyes as he threw out his arms in desperation. Behind him, he could tell that Lelouch was clinging to Nunnally, and Suzaku could hear Nunnally's whimper. He gazed up at the Knightmare Frame before him and braced for his death.

There was a flash, and a loud explosion.

The Frame went up in a plume of fire and smoke as a pillar of light cleaved clean through it, killing the pilot before he could bail. The other Frame looked up at the source of the light, only to be hit by a second bolt. Within three seconds the children had gone from certain death to safety.

By now Lelouch had noticed a distinct lack of being dead, causing him to open his eyes. A small gasp escaped his mouth as he saw the state of the two Britannian 'super-weapons'. Nunnally wanted to know what was going on, and Suzaku had noticed what had saved them.

Descending from the sky was the biggest Knightmare he had ever seen. It was at least three or four times bigger than the Frames he had just seen reduced to slag. It was blue, with humanoid proportions and a massive shield-like... thing on its left shoulder. The machine was steadily lowering itself down right in front of the children.

Lelouch tried to speak up first.

"Wh...Wh...Wha...What?"

Emphasis on tried. A mystified and unusually frustrated Nunnally responded with a curt, "What's happening? Big Brother?"

Suzaku was still focusing on the machine, however. This... thing had just killed two men, and there was no guarantee it was on their side yet. Slowly, the machine landed and powered down, while the children were still gathering their wits.

Slowly, what appeared to be a man in a blue jumpsuit and helmet lowered himself to ground level in front of the Frame opposite them. Suzaku moved to better protect his adoptive family. The man removed his helmet to reveal a middle-eastern man with light brown eyes and a touch of age to his features.

The man looked at them and said, "Lelouch vi Britannia. Nunnally vi Britannia. Suzaku Kururugi. I have been looking for you."

The man's eyes seemed to ripple with gold for a moment, but then it was gone. Suzaku shouted out, "Who are you?"

"Do not be afraid. My name is Setsuna F. Seiei. I have come to make you an offer."

This time Lelouch spoke up, "If you want us to return to the mainland then..."

"I am not here on behalf of the Emperor. I came to offer you a position within my organisation."

The last of the children spoke up, "H-How do you know who we really are?"

"Your Godmother. She's been watching you."

To the royals, the existence of a hitherto unknown godmother was a not unwelcome surprise. The blood siblings thought on this information as Suzaku kept the man talking. The man and his 'Gundam' had been dispatched to extract the children from the Japanese war-zone by a lady known as C.C.. Upon consideration of surveillance reports, Setsuna had decided that they showed 'considerable potential'.

"Potential for what?" asked Suzaku.

Setsuna's gaze lightened somewhat as he said, "All in due time. Will you come with me?"

"You just killed two men in front of us. How do you expect us to trust you?" replied Suzaku.

Setsuna looked over an the Britannian children and said, "Would you like to see again, Nunnally?"

An uneasy silence fell over the group.

"Yes, Mr. Seiei, I would. If at all possible."

The man took this as permission. He walked up to Nunnally and laid his hand gently across her cheek. Lelouch winced at letting this stranger even closer to his dear, vulnerable sister. However, he knew he couldn't really do anything about it. The man's eves started to shimmer a sharp and shifting golden colour.

"I promise this won't hurt," said Setsuna in a matter-a-fact tone.

"Thank you, Mr Seiei."

Slowly a gold started to form around Setsuna's fingertips. The two boys gazed in wonderment, before Nunnally broke the silence with a soft, "Why are you so sad, Mr. Seiei?"

Setsuna winced before replying, "How can you tell?".

"I just... feel some great, formidable sorrow. I feel it lurking deep inside your heart."

This esoteric talk put the boys on edge, but Setsuna remained focused and calm.

"Its a long story. Now, I need you to focus on when you lost your sight."

The camp went quiet for a moment while the man and child focused intently. Until slowly, delicately, Nunnally opened her eyes.

"B-B-Brother," she slowly called out, as Setsuna let go of her.

"Nunnally!" Lelouch said as he caught her in his arms, "Your eyes!"

"I can see, big brother."

Setsuna turned to face Suzaku and asked, "Have I demonstrated the honour of my intentions?".

"Yes, Mr Seiei, you have. What do you want to of us?" said Suzaku.

"I would like to recruit you into the next generation of Celestial Being."

* * *

The day after the ball, in the early hours of the evening, C.C. made her way into the Fereshte Headquarters in Britannia. The multinational made its base in this building, so in all probability the information she wanted was here.

As C.C. got out of her taxi, she entered the plaza at the base of the facility; a mixture of garden and park for employees and their children. At it's centre, Fereshte Headquarters towered into the sky; a shard of glass and steel dominating the landscape. It's foundation was shaped like a tear drop, and rose so that the tail closed in towards the bottom of the shape, leaving the building with a flat side.

The lady known as C.C. quickly scurried into the building and entered a marble covered lobby. The windows of the building had been designed not to let much light outside, so few who didn't work here had ever seen the interior. C.C. walked up to the front desk – a old, somewhat battered number with a matching receptionist– and verified that she had made an appointment with the CEO last night, so she would like to see him when he was free, if that wasn't too much trouble.

"I was told someone would be coming for a visit. Use the leftmost lift, ma'am."

So it was that the green haired lady found herself ascending to the top of one of Britannia's earliest skyscrapers. She was rather disappointed that she didn't see anything about the Krung Thep group on the official maps of the place, but she hadn't expected such an infamously secretive group – and company – to be so callous with information.

The lift smoothly halted some three quarters of the way up the building, on a floor marked 'CEO Office and Meeting Rooms'. C.C. gracefully and confidently strode down the central corridor towards the Secretary; whom she recognised as Anew Returner from the previous night. Luckily, Anew appeared to be chatting with her fiancé as C.C. arrived.

"... certain about this, Lyle?" she overheard Anew saying as she arrived.

"No, Anew, I'm not. But I reckon that the truth will change that," came Lyle's reply.

C.C. cleared her throat. The couple turned around to face her.

"Oh, Lady C.C.," came Lyle's voice, "I was wondering when you might show up.".

"Well as you can see, I'm here now."

"Indeed. Come into my office, we have much to discuss."

Lyle kissed Anew on the forehead as he passed her before heading into his office. C.C. tried to follow, but had her arm caught by Anew.

"Is there something that you want from me?" said C.C.

Anew shook her head, "I just wanted to warn you... Don't lie to us. We can tell."

"And?"

"Just... have an open mind as to what you're about to see," Anew said as she released C.C.'s arm. C.C. considered responding, but Anew had already turned back to the work on her desk. C.C. decided to ignore the ominous warning for now and head on into Lyle's office. The glass door swished open and she stepped inside.

The office was a rather futuristic design, all glass and steel. The room was barely lit, save for a large window overlooking the city. There were chairs, paintings, books, a desk – everything you would expect in an office. C.C. felt out of place in such a room; most likely a side effect of her age. Lyle had settled down behind his desk with a drink in hand. He reached under his desk and produced another glass.

"Would you like a drink, Lady C.C.?" he asked.

"I'll have what you're having."

Lyle picked up a bottle of Irish Whisky on his desk and poured out a shot for C.C.. She accepted the glass and took a sip as she settled down opposite a now sitting Lyle. He looked at her with that same intense gaze as last night, and once again she could see those golden eyes for a split second.

"You want to spy on my company," he said, without a flicker of uncertainty in his voice.

C.C.'s eyes widened for a split second. Lyle's tone told her that he didn't suspect, he knew. After weighing her options she replied with a curt, "How could you tell?".

"You won't believe me. Not yet. I would like to ask you something."

"I'm not exactly in an advantageous position."

"Do you know who Celestial Being are?"

"No. Would you care to enlighten me?"

"They are the true masters of Fereshte, and the Krung Thep engineering group."

C.C. could tell she was would be leaving this conversation either betraying Britannia, or in a body bag. This didn't mean much to her, but it still left her unsettled inside. C.C. could tell that whatever she was about to be told was very important, and very secret. She let Lyle continue.

"Celestial Being," said Lyle, "is a private armed group dedicated to three causes. These are known collectively as The Aeolia Principles. These are:

"The Elimination of War

"The Unification of Order

"And The Evolution of Humanity"

C.C. was starting to be freaked out. How could a group with such obvious power and lofty goals remain so secret? She stuttered out a somewhat frightened, "W-What are you saying?"

Lyle turned around, showing her the rippling golden eyes that bore right through her and looked and looked and looked and ohgodohgodohgod...

On C.C.'s forehead her code started to glow violently as she collapsed to the floor. While C.C. was writhing in pain, Lyle put two and two together. He shut down his Quantum Brainwaves before reaching out a hand to help C.C. up off the ground.

Ignoring the helping hand, C.C. slowly clambered up off all fours and started leaning on Lyle's desk. She looked Lyle in the eye as she gasped out, "W-W-What wa-as th-th-that?"

"My Quantum Brainwaves. I have already fulfilled the third of Aeolia's Principles. I am an Innovator."

Charles and Marianne needed to hear about this; it threw their entire plan into disarray. C.C. had to get back to the palace, or the imperial villa. But she had no way out...

_Window_

C.C. started running towards the window. She could recover and escape before they could stop her. She could...

Lyle Dylandy, also known as Lockon Stratos II, shot the woman known as C.C. in the back of the head.

* * *

Li Xingke joined Celestial Being after even Lelouch and Suzaku, out of a mix of necessity and desire.

After he had given a prisoner some medicine against orders, he had only been spared execution thanks to the intervention of the Empress Tianzi herself. Instead, he had been temporarily suspended from duty, leaving him in his civilian apartment. This all lead to, some two years after the invasion of Japan, Li Xingke being awoken by a bump in the night.

Li Xingke supported the throne above the eunuchs; a rare trait in the modern Chinese military. She had him spared from execution; in turn he had sworn unto her his eternal loyalty, and promised to show her the outside world. This had made him a lot of enemies in high places, especially the High Eunuchs.

So in retrospect, he probably should have expected the assassins. The men were very much professionals, despite one of them knocking over his potted white Heather plant. Indeed, Xingke could only be sure of their presence from three shadows on the other side of his open bedroom door. He grabbed the sword and pistol he kept by his bedside and moved into position mere moments before the first assassin came through his open door.

Xingke had taken cover behind the door, emerging in a calculated swivel. With a single sword slash he slit the intruder's throat. He followed this up by ramming himself against the still upright body, using it as a human shield as he ran through the open door. This move sent Xingke, the rapidly dying first assassin and a second assassin behind the first slamming to the ground. Xingke quickly dispatched the two with a stab through their hearts. A quick pistol shot to his left killed the third assassin.

Xingke picked himself up off the ground and took survey of his situation. There were obviously three dead bodies in his apartment. He was in his kitchen-diner, with exits on his near left, near right and far right. The men had approached his room from the right, so that meant they hadn't gained access from the spare bedroom on his left. Since the bathroom on the near right didn't have man-sized windows there was only the main entrance through the kitchen diner. Xingke went to investigate.

The fourth and final assassin would have been able to give Xingke the jump had it not been for one unexpected factor. A hand reached out behind the assassin's head and grabbed him. A swift tug and the so-called threat fell to the floor with a broken neck with a loud crack.

Xingke raised his pistol and aimed it at the newcomer as they stepped around the corner. The man looked oriental to Xingke, but he couldn't guess his nationality. The man had long hair that nearly covered a pair of mismatched eyes. He looked at Xingke and said,

"I take it you are unharmed, Mr. Li Xingke"

Xingke remained in a combat ready stance as he said, "Who are you?"

"My name is Alleluia Haptism. I was here to prevent your death, but you appear to be doing a good job of that yourself."

Xingke considered the situation. The stranger had killed one of the assassins, so he wasn't with them. On the other hand, he was breaking into Xingke's apartment and killing people. He decided to put away the sword but keep the pistol trained on his target.

"I can't see why you would come to save me if not due to some ulterior motive," stated Xingke

"Sorry about that. I'm here on behalf of a group called Celestial Being"

So it was that Alleluia told Xingke about Celestial Being. It's existence, it's desire to change the world, the Aeolia Principles. Alleluia told him that their spies had been observing him for a long time, and that his act of kindness towards a helpless prisoner had confirmed their decision to recruit him.

While talking, the two started to tidy up the bodies. Alleluia sent a 'Mission Success' signal and requested a team be sent to dispose of the bodies. The gun and sword had been put on the table as the two talked about Celestial Being. Only a few weeks ago, Xingke wouldn't have hesitated to say yes, to join a group with those ideals. However, now he had one major reservation

"I would accept your offer if I were I my own man, Alleluia Haptism. But you know I am my Empress's man."

"I know about your commitment, and I'm not asking you to break it. I'm just showing you another way to fulfil it. Tell me: do you think this attack will be a one off?"

Li Xingke realised what Alleluia was saying. The eunuchs had a multitude of reasons to kill him. It would 'eliminate an unruly element'. It would prevent a future threat. But most importantly, it would discourage Empress Tianzi from speaking out in the future. He knew that he couldn't serve his Empress dead, and if this man spoke the truth...

"You're right, Haptism. But I can't just leave her."

"Me and my agents will look after her. We oppose the eunuchs as warmongers. Our advanced medical technology can fully cure your lung cancer."

Xingke's eyes widened – how had this man known? Was what he was saying true? Xingke decided to respond by saying, "I... I only want to make her happy. How can my disappearance be anything but bad for her?"

"You can make the world a better place, for her and for all of us. I'll deliver a letter to her personally. Tell her you have found a new way to make her dream come true, and what has happened here. Please, Li Xingke."

Xingke closed his eyes. He considered his options long and hard. He contemplated every possibility his defection could cause. Alleluia fell equally silent, sending the signal for the bodied to be collected. The clock ticked, and it started to rain. A comfortable silence filled the room until,

"Very well. I accept your offer, Alleluia Haptism."

* * *

Lyle Dylandy knew about the Geass Order.

The mind-controlling technique of Geass had became public knowledge during Lelouch's rule, and had eventually died out. This was thanks to the Geass giving, supposedly immortal Code Bearers had found a way to die without passing on their code. Lyle even remembered having to cram on the subject back in school. So when C.C. reacted to Quantum Brainwaves the way she had, it hadn't taken him long to figure out what she was.

With all that in mind, he didn't react when the witch started to pick herself up off the ground mere moments after he had shot her. He waited as she pulled the bullet out of her skull, and watched as the wound started to knit itself back together. Lyle decided to talk to her.

"Ready to hear me out yet, C.C.?"

The woman stiffened as she heard the voice, and picked herself up off the floor to face Lyle. She reached for the gun inside her coat, only to find that it had been removed while she was 'asleep'. It only took her a few seconds to realise what that meant – Lyle knew she was going to resuscitate.

Even without his abilities as an Innovator, Lyle could read her expression like an open book. She was worried about what he knew about the Order. She was angry about being shot. She was curious about Celestial Being. But most of all, she was afraid of what he had done to her. He decided to put her fears to rest.

"I didn't intend to hurt you," said Lyle, "If you can stay calm, I'll tell you what you want to know."

C.C. could tell from centuries of experience that Lyle was not lying. If she played along, she realised, she could get more information to report. C.C. edged away from the window and looked intently at the armed man.

"Really? You would tell me about Celestial Being, and your so-called Innovators?" said C.C.

Lyle responded by saying, "Aye. I'll tell you about those. Which first?"

C.C. considered what Lyle had managed to do before he shot her.

"Tell me, what are Innovators?"

"Innovators are the next step in human evolution. Through exposure to GN particles and Quantum Brainwaves, the body can kick-start vestigial systems in the human body, and start to strengthen them from generation to generation."

All this jargon left C.C. with even more questions – although she already knew the answer to one. Quantum Brainwaves were what Geass's used to work. They were what the _codes _used to heal the host's body. If what Lyle said is true, could these so-called Innovators shut down her healing? Were they immune to Geass? Could they destroy her code?

She decided to pursue the other avenue of discussion.

"In that case, tell me what Celestial Being are?"

"Celestial Being _is_ a private armed organisation dedicated to fulfilling the Aeolia Principles. We are also from the future."

After Lyle Dylandy dropped this bombshell, the room went quiet for a moment before..

"_What_?!" C.C. all but shouted.

"We are from the future. We are travellers in the forth dimension. We are time travellers. Take your pick," Lyle said as he smirked slightly, "Why do you think Fereshte is such an trailblazing organization? We cherry-pick research we know will be successful."

This was impossible, but C.C. could tell that Lyle wasn't lying. She was, for the first time in a long, _long_ time, out of her depth. She managed to stammer out her next few questions.

"B-But what about the Ragnarok Connection? Why would you come back? _How_?!"

Lyle Dylandy, in contrast, was sipping on his whisky without a care in the world. He replied to her questions in order,

"It failed. We messed up first contact. The 00 Quan[T]. Anything else?"

By now C.C's world had been thoroughly shaken. The Connection failed? But the other answers had opened up even more questions.

"W-What do you mean, 'messed up first contact'?"

The conversation continued in this manner for quite some time. C.C. managed to calm herself down, and after falling back onto centuries of experience detecting lies she confirmed that Lyle wasn't bluffing at all. Gradually, she began to piece together a picture of what was going on, or whatever the right tense was.

The world had continued on much like it had done, following the three beats of War, Peace and Revolution. Eventually, Celestial Being had acted as an outside force; using machines called Gundams to break the cycle and unite the world. But a species called the ELS had attacked before humanity could feel the benefits of unity, and a cycle of poor communication had led to war between the two species, which humanity had lost.

This left C.C. in a difficult position. She was curious about Celestial Being – they might be able to change _everything_; a quality she hadn't seen since Washington's Rebellion. But she had also invested too much into the Ragnarok Connection to walk away, especially considering her pledge to Charles and Marianne. With this in mind, she quickly devised a plan to get the best of both worlds.

"Mr. Dylandy. You said you have spies everywhere," stated C.C.

"Aye, I do. Why do you ask?", replied the Irishman.

"You see, Mister Dylandy, I am currently deeply involved in..."

"The Ragnarok Connection. You can't walk away from it, and you're committed to the royals. Correct?" said Lyle.

"C-Correct," said C.C. - she was still unnerved by Lyle's ability to read her so easily, "But this places me in a unique position. It affords me a high degree of access to information considered confidential. I..."

"Would like to be a double agent, aye?" said Lyle, a smile spreading across his face. He was having fun messing with C.C.'s head.

"Yes. I would like to work with Celestial Being."

The conversation momentarily moved onto the mechanics of this partnership – basic instructions, how to file reports, and the like – before Lyle was forced to end it. With all the revelations that had come to pass – and C.C. dying – the evening had become night, and now the senior offices were being secured for the night.

As C.C. disappeared behind the lift doors, Anew looked at her fiancé. She said, "Do you think we can trust her?"

Lyle responded by saying, "C.C.? Hell no. Not for now, at least."

Anew raised an inquisitive eyebrow, so Lyle continued, "She wants to believe in us, but she isn't ready to let go of her own plans. Deep down, she's starting to doubt the Connection; so when she abandons it we can take her in with open arms. In the meantime, we get a spy in the Britannian Court, not that we need another one."

"I meant, do you trust her not to rat us out?" said Anew dryly.

Lyle put his arm around Anew and kissed her on the forehead. He said, "She won't. Like I said, she wants to believe. She'll put off reporting us until she stops thinking of us as abnormal. Trust me, Celestial Being just gained one of its most loyal members."

He had no idea just how right he would be.

* * *

Nunnally looked out towards the stars as she waited for her operation, and started to reflect.

True to his word, Mr. Setsuna had helped the children escape Japan. He had taken them to an island in the Pacific, and taken them to a _really_ tall tower that he called a Mass Accelerator. Nunnally and the others were told to wait in this strange-looking capsule, and despite Suzaku's misgivings they chose to do so. As it turned out, the 'capsule' was actually a shuttle; Mr. Setsuna had sent them into space.

Lelouch was split between freaking out ("Where are the controls?!") and stoical wonderment, but Suzaku kept quiet. It was clear that he didn't trust Mr. Setsuna, which Nunnally supposed she could understand; after all, he had literally dropped out of the sky. Thankfully, Setsuna reached space only a few minutes after the did, in his Gundam machine.

He grabbed the shuttle, and started to drag it through space towards their destination. When one of the children asked where they were going, Setsuna responded with the immortal,

"You'll realise when we get there."

Most of the rest of the trip passed in silence. Lelouch was looking through the shuttle's instruments and trying to figure out how they worked, while Suzaku was brooding in the corner. Nunnally would have helped him, but for the first time in her life she could see the stars – without the light of Pendragon drowning them out.

Eventually, Mr. Setsuna announced that the group arrived at their destination. Outside, there didn't seem to be anywhere to go; not even an asteroid, let alone a space station. So when a door seemed to appear out of nowhere, all the children watched in awe as it revealed itself – even Suzaku. The Gundam pushed the inactive shuttle inside before leaving itself – presumably for another entrance.

Once the doors were sealed, the shuttle's doors opened and revealed the children's welcoming committee. There was a pretty, green haired lady who revealed herself to be the elusive C.C.; her and Lulu's supposed godmother. With C.C. were a couple – a young-ish looking lady with pigtails, who was hugging a flat-chested lady with purple hair. They called themselves the Mileina & Tieria Erde.

The three of them seemed like very nice people; an image that was quickly tarnished when Setsuna entered the room. C.C. managed to get the children out of the room quickly, but not before Mileina had started trying to hit Setsuna and shouting at him, "They're children! What were you thinking?!"

C.C. started to talk to the children as they floated towards the crew's quarters. Suzaku stayed quiet, but Nunnally and Lelouch were eager to find out about their newly-revealed godmother. She told the children a little about herself; apparently she was from Europe, but had emigrated to Britannia. She had done some work for the royal family, but had to leave due to ethical concerns; now she worked for Celestial Being, like Mileina and her husband Tieria.

The next few days passed in a similar fashion. She would spend her time finding out as much as she could about where she was, and her new friends. Lelouch would either be at her side, or challenging someone to a game of chess. Eventually, he found good partner in one Mrs. Mannequin; she could beat him frequently, while her husband looked after Nunnally.

Suzaku was quite different – he wouldn't leave his room most of the time. He barely talked to anyone except Nunnally or Lelouch, and went quiet whenever anyone else was there. Nunnally reckoned that eventually someone was going to give him a stern talking to – one that would get him out of his mood. Unfortunately, no-one had done it by the time she was scheduled to have her leg surgery.

So it was that she was all alone in the immediate build-up to her operation. Lelouch was over at the sick bay – presumably checking that everything was safe – and Suzaku was in his quarters. She was gazing out at the stars when someone settled next to her on the guard rail.

"M-Mister Erde."

The purple haired man looked over at her before turning back to the stars. He said, "You're nervous, Miss Lamperouge."

It wasn't a question. Nunnally said, "I don't want to worry anyone."

Tieria said, "It isn't a problem. I'll stay with you until the operation, if you want."

"I'd like it if you could," said Nunnally

A silence fell over the two, but it wasn't an awkward one. The two just stared out at the stars, soaking in the light of the Milky Way. Eventually, Nunnally decided to ask Tieria something.

"Mister Erde?"

"Hmm?"

"H-Have you ever had this p-p-procedure before?" stammered Nunnally.

"The nerve-regeneration one?" said Tieria. Nunnally nodded, so Tieria went on, "No, but Setsuna has."

"Really?" said Nunnally, "Do you know what happened to him?"

Tieria sighed and pushed himself off the guard rail.

"I'll tell you on our way to the theatre. Come on."

Tieria floated off towards the sick bay. Nunnally quickly followed suit. Tieria looked back at her and started to explain.

"It happened during the ELS Conflict, back in our own time."

Nunnally had heard about the alleged time-travelling nature of Celestial Being. While she was sceptical – understandably so – she believed that they were telling the truth. Which was more than could be said for Lelouch and Suzaku, but at least it was something.

Tieria continued, "He tried to reach out to the ELS, like when he fixed your eyesight. But since we were fighting at the time, the ELS fought back and gave Setsuna brain damage."

"You mean, you were fighting them?"

The two got into a lift as Tieria answered, "Yes. We were fighting to stop them from attacking the ones we love. Ultimately, we failed – which is why we came back in time."

Nunnally thought about Tieria's words. She softly announced, "I don't like fighting."

Tieria gave Nunnally a stern look, and she felt like she was about to be scolded. Tieria announced in a similar tone,

"Me neither."

Nunnally looked at his softening gaze, and responded with the obvious question, "If you don't like fighting, then why do you fight, Mister Tieria?"

There was a ding as the lift arrived at the medical wards. The doors opened, and Tieria smiled at Nunnally. He gave her some parting words.

"Because doing nothing is even worse. Now go on, it won't hurt a bit."

He gently pushed Nunnally into the room as the lift doors shut. Nunnally pulled herself towards her waiting, anxious brother and reflected on Mr. Erde's words. She didn't want him to be right, but deep down she knew he was. She knew that sometimes you had to hurt and be hurt, but by doing it now you stopped it from being worse down the road. With this thought, Lelouch led her to the operating theatre.

As it turned out, the procedure was just lying down on a bed and having some machines move around her. And sure enough, it didn't hurt a bit.

* * *

Elsewhere in the station, the lift doors pinged and Tieria floated out into a dark room. There was a table in the centre, and around it were sat Setsuna, Mileina and former Federation tactician Kati Mannequin. There were also holographic representations of Lockon, Allelujah, Feldt Grace, Lasse Aeon and Linda Vashti.

Tieria took the free seat between his wife and Setsuna, who was at the head of the table. Setsuna decided to speak.

"Thank you, Tieria. Shall we begin the meeting?"

There were affirmative sounds from around the table. Setsuna continued, "Very well then, on business. Does anyone have any major announcements?"

Mileina spoke up first, "I've received confirmation that the third of the new GN drives has been completed," which prompted much congratulatory noise as she finished, "The next two are predicted to be completed at four year intervals."

Tieria lent over and hugged his wife and Lyle gave the two a catcall; meanwhile Mileina's mother Linda jokingly grumbled out something about how she could do twice as much in half the time on a shoe-sting budget. She went ignored as Kati Mannequin announced,

"I have verified our recent recruits, and can report that Lelouch Lamperouge is better that I hoped. If he is willing, he will be the tactician of the next generation of Celestial Being."

After the Meisters were scattered in time, the team they had formed had fallen apart. Lyle had formed a multinational company alongside the first few arrivals, Allelujah had started a family, and Tieria was a married man. For these reasons, they decided to form a newer, younger team to begin armed interventions in this world.

At first, Celestial Being had taken care of any Federation soldiers it had caught in its Quantum Shift. After all, the Shift had caused an awful lot of Innovations, which was one on Celestial Being's main issues. So, they had recruited everyone who didn't want to go native, and swore everyone else to secrecy. The newly formed Celestial Being Council had hoped to find an eligible team within these recruits, but they had sadly overestimated the number of people they had caught. This led to recruitment from the general populace.

When they recruited C.C., the council had hoped to get a spy at most. However, when she decided to abandon the Ragnarok Connection, C.C. had immediately become one of Celestial Being's most valuable assets. Upon realising that she was immortal, they had quickly trained her to be a Gundam Meister – and she was damn good at it.

If Lelouch was an eligible tactician, then the search for the other Meisters was now going to kick into overdrive. Setsuna decided to clarify a few thing between them.

"Lockon, how's C.C.'s training going?"

"Well, for the most part. I'm worried about her and her latest contractor, Mao. Thankfully, she knows not to take things too far, and I reckon he could be a valuable resource. Other than that, she's probably the least screwed up Meister we've ever trained."

Setsuna swallowed this information. He responded by saying, "What about Mao as a Meister?"

"I doubt it," interjected Allelujah, "I've been keeping tabs on him, and I don't think he's got the mental stability for it. I wouldn't want to make that worse; but I could be wrong about him. We'll keep him on the B-List."

Setsuna and the others nodded. He asked Tieria,

"Have you found any candidates, Tieria?"

Celestial Being's Spy-Master listed his options, "I reckon we already have a couple. Nunnally Lamperouge is in surgery right now, and with the right attitude, all signs point towards her being a good pilot."

This had Mileina, Allelujah and Lockon objecting furiously, "She's a child! It's bad enough with Lelouch, but her as well?!"

"She's older than I was," pointed out Setsuna, "The question is if she would fight for the Aeolia Principles."

Tieria responded to that by saying, "She certainly believes in them. I think that with a little prompting, she could be convinced to fight. I like her, and Veda's scans indicate that she could be very good in the role. The same applies for Mister Kururugi."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow, so Tieria continued, "He doesn't like our modus operandi, but he has a similar level of potential. Plus, both of them are having doubts about their own methods. With some influence, we'll have ourselves another two Meisters."

Setsuna nodded, "Anyone else have any candidates?"

Allelujah had an eye on someone called Xingke, and Lockon was eyeing up a recently humiliated margrave. Feldt and Lasse were busy setting up spy networks in Africa and the Middle East, and Linda didn't have anyone in mind.

"Understood," said Setsuna, after hearing the options. He told the Observers, "Keep looking, and keep a watch on the ones you've told me."

"We'll take a break before we start the budgeting. Be back in 15 minutes."

The council members left their chairs for a moment, and the holograms of the Observers flickerd out of existence. But, no matter how far apart they were, they all shared the same thought.

The next generation was on its way.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter of Quantum Shift. I'll be trying to update it every other Friday, but I can't guarantee that. Reviews and Comments are encouraged, and if you can provide valid critique I'd be very happy. PM me if you have any questions about the fic, or if you'd be willing to Beta future chapters. Thanks!

**Writing Notes:** The scene with Nunnally and Tieria went through four drafts; originally it was going to be about star constellations, but it really didn't work. I added Lyle saying 'Aye' because it gives his character a easier-to-write voice, and helps strengthen the Ireland connection. But the biggest pain in the arse was whiplashing between the different times and perspectives without making it an incomprehensible mess. Also, the story is written in British English because a) I'm English, so it's easier for me and b) I guess Britannia's existence would make American English not exist.

Next Time, the new Meisters start interacting with each other, and receive their Gundams


	2. Act 1: Operation Crossroad

**Disclaimer**: This is a fan-made crossover story. All non-original content belongs to the current IP owners.

* * *

The main hanger bay of the _Celestial Being_ Deep Space Vessel was a nest of panic and activity. This was understandable, considering the delivery that would be arriving from Jupiter in mere moments. Ergo, nearly everyone aboard the ship was doing something or other in preparation for the arrival.

From an outsider's perspective, Tieria Erde seemed to be an exception to this rule. He was in the control room, overlooking the airlock. The room stuck out from the wall, with a glass wall exposing the hanger. There was a spacious pair central and frontal aisles, with banks of computers in and out.

Tieria was floating at the front, with his eyes closed; he almost looked like he was sleeping. In fact, this could not be further from the truth. He was, in fact, connecting to the supercomputer Veda. While most of the process was automated, Tieria was still being called upon to make dozens of judgement calls every few seconds. If he messed up, the precious cargo of the delivery shuttle would be lost: something that couldn't be allowed to happen.

Then came a voice, saying, "Mister Tieria?"

For a moment, Tieria lost his focus. Thankfully, the various Innovades – clones of Innovators - that now worked for Celestial Being could pick up the slack for their _de facto_ leader. With a mental note of thanks, Tieria disconnected from Veda and turned to see the source of the voice.

Nunnally was floating in the control room, peering at his face from mere inches away. As Tieria's eyes snapped open, she kicked herself away to the other side of the room. In an almost sickly sweet voice, the girl said,

"Everyone's really busy, Mister Tieria. Shouldn't you be helping them instead of sleeping?"

Tieria replied, "I was, Nunnally."

"But you were asleep," said Nunnally.

"I wasn't asleep, Nunnally. I was doing a complex... thing with my mind."

Nunnally pouted and said, "Was it sleeping?"

Tieria bowed his head and sighed. The children being harboured by Celestial Being had somehow become his responsibility. He was the one expected to fill out any reports about them, or file any paperwork. It was quite the chore, and certainly kept him busy. Really, it's what he should have expected for recommending them for the Gundam program.

Not that he minded. While Suzaku had been quite stoic since coming aboard, the other two had been delightful. Lelouch was flourishing in Kati Mannequin's tutorship. She was teaching him all about tactics and leadership, barely having to mention the Aeolia Principles for him to latch onto them.

Then there were the Meister candidates. Nunnally had heard and become fascinated by the Aeolia Principles. However, she was far too idealistic. Tieria just needed to show her that action was a necessary precursor to change; after all, not all revolutions could be civilized. On the other hand, Suzaku already had the temperament of a pilot. Setsuna had a plan, to show the boy the error of his ideals. If he learned that, then...

Tieria was brought out of his thoughts by a loud noise. A number of lights had gone off in the control room, and a loud whirring sound was coming from below. From their vantage point, Tieria and Nunnally could see the airlock open. Slowly, the all-important delivery shuttle entered the hanger.

"What's that, Mister Tieria?", said Nunnally, a smile of awe spreading across her face.

"That," he replied, "Is the newest GN Drive. They're really complicated, so we have to make them inside Jupiter. I'm surprised that Setsuna would arrange for it to arrive today."

Nunnally's smile froze, "It's for another Gundam, isn't it. You're going to hurt people with it."

Tieria grimaced at the girl's tone. He said bluntly, "Yes. We're going to use it to fight."

"I don't like fighting."

"I know. You've said as much," responded Tieria, in an impassive tone.

"But you said you also didn't like fighting, Mister Tieria," said an inquisitive Nunnally.

Tieria's voice remained balanced as he said, "I don't. But that doesn't make it any less necessary. If you want to change the world, you have to fight for what you believe in."

The girl looked almost annoyed, "But there are other options, aren't there? You can change thing by talking, can't you?"

"If only," sighed Tieria. He remembered how, in his own time, the world had been brought to heel by the A-Laws; an autonomous and amoral global military force. He remembered the zealots among those ranks, and the corruption they indulged. But most of all, he remembered Ribbons Almark, the first Gundam Meister and former leader of the Innovades; a man who had become so obsessed with personal glory, he abandoned the Aeolia Principles in favour of his own agenda.

Tieria turned back to Nunnally and said, "Celestial Being fights for peace. That is the paradox of our existence."

The man paused and looked at the girl. Her face had softened, and her eyes focused on him intently. Tieria continued, "We fight not only for our ideals, but for all those who share them. We are symbols, for the people to rally behind; and eventually, we will lead them into a better world. That is why I fight; to create the world that Aeolia Schenberg envisioned."

The two floated in the room in silence. Nunnally's face had fallen into a familiar passive smile. The two hung there, like a pendulum at the crest of its swing. Then, one of the computer terminals started flashing, and the moment was ruined.

"I should go and help them unload," said Tieria, kicking himself towards the door. He grasped the door-frame, and looked at Nunnally, "Besides, Gundam's can be used for lots of things. I'll have C.C. show you on the training simulators later. Okay?"

Nunnally roused from her contemplative state, and turned around to face Tieria. However, by the time she had done so, he had already drifted off.

"Thank you... Tieria."

* * *

**Quantum Shift  
Act 1: **Unification**  
Chapter 2: **Operation Crossroad

* * *

Some hours later, a very different child was staring out at the stars. Inside his mind, Suzaku very much didn't like Celestial Being.

He had been living at their base for a couple of months. While Suzaku found the people who worked here nice enough, but he was deeply unsettled by their beliefs and ideals. He had heard about how they desired to change the world, and eliminate war. On an objective level, he liked the concept – but he had also observed their methods. After all, he had seen what the 00 Quan[T] could do when it fell from the sky to save him, Lelouch and Nunnally.

Lelouch and Nunnally. He had only gone along with Setsuna's recruitment drive since he had done so much for them. Setsuna had given them all a home, had cured Nunnally of her blindness and paralysis. Lelouch had found intellects to match his own. The crew doted upon Nunnally, especially during her physical recovery therapy. Meanwhile, Suzaku had mostly been left to his own devices.

All the while, he thought about Japan. The war was still raging when the children had left. Suzaku had little doubt that his father wouldn't give up without much needless slaughter. Suzaku reckoned that he could stop all that – he just needed to talk to his father. A dozen thoughts like this ran circles through Suzaku's head, until they all came to one, indisputable conclusion.

Suzaku turned around, and was about to leave the lounge he was in to find Setsuna. However, as the door opened he found himself face to face with the man. Suzaku took a moment to back away before saying,

"Mister Seiei, may I talk to you?"

The elder of the two looked in Suzaku's direction and said, "You wish to return to your family. Am I correct, Mister Kururugi?"

Suzaku chose to ignore the fact that Setsuna had answered in perfect Japanese. Instead, he focused on Setsuna's apparent mind-reading. He said,

"How did you know, sir?"

The Kurd replied by saying, "I know a great deal, Suzaku Kururugi. You feel uncomfortable here, surrounded by those who don't share your ideals. Instead, you want to return to the front lines, as it were."

Suzaku was getting annoyed as he said, "That doesn't answer my question... sir."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow, seemingly in response to Suzaku's forced politeness. He said, "If you insist. I know what you're thinking because of my abilities as an Innovator."

Suzaku made an affirmative grunt as he turned to face the stars. Like the other two, he had heard about Celestial Being's alleged time travel. Unlike them, he didn't believe it. It was too... convenient. It gave these people an excuse. A way out of facing the consequences of their actions.

'_Like killing those two Knightmare Pilots..._'

Setsuna sighed. The man turned towards Suzaku and said, "It's clear that you have something on your mind. If you want us to understand each other, you have to communicate."

Suzaku gazed out into the night sky as he chose his next words carefully. After some consideration, he decided to say, "I just... feel that you and Celestial Being are... doing the wrong thing somehow."

Setsuna hummed in response, obviously wanting the boy to continue. To that end, Suzaku said, "I know that you mean well, but your methods are... wrong. I think that... you're just lashing out blindly, in the name of change. And you can't achieve your so-called Aeolia Principles that way."

Setsuna drifted up to the window of the lounge, right next to Suzaku. His head tipped downwards, and gave out a long, weary sigh. The man turned to face the boy, and slowly started to speak, in a wistful tone,

"I understand what you're saying. You think that we don't care about others."

Setsuna lifted up his head, and Suzaku could swear he saw a tear in the man's eye. The man continued, "It is true that we fight for our ideals. But you mustn't mistake that for mindless violence."

The boy spoke before he could catch himself, "Then what was the point of killing those soldiers? What makes you and your group different from terrorists or mercenaries?"

Suzaku realised his mistake the second that he made it. Setsuna's eyes flashed gold, and the man's grip tightened on the window-side hand rail; leaving a noticeable hand-print. Suzaku could almost feel the annoyance radiating off of the Kurd.

The man took a second to regain his composure before saying, "I know that you believe that change comes from within, Suzaku Kururugi. But you are wrong. You have to fight for what you believe in, not what others strive towards. Like how your friend Lelouch left Britannia in order to do the right thing."

Suzaku was about to object, but he couldn't think of any response to make. He let Setsuna continue, "For change to happen, there must be an ideal to move towards, and a force to move with. Celestial Being fights for the Aeolia Principles, providing both a force against oppression and a symbol for the common people."

"Celestial Being fight to create a world where everyone can understand each other," said Setsuna F. Seiei, "We can only change the world into that place by casting out this world's corruption and stagnation. But for us to do that, we will have to fight."

The Kurd turned away from the stars, and headed beck towards the cold depths of _Celestial Being_. As he left, he told Suzaku one last thing,

"If you stand by your decision, come to my office this time next week. Goodbye, Suzaku Kururugi."

With that, Setsuna drifted away, into the corridor and out of sight. Now alone, Suzaku's mind started turning over what Setsuna had told him. The boy glanced back at the hand-shaped indent on the guard rail. Slowly, Suzaku drifted over to it and laid his had on it. The shape was much larger that his own hand, but somehow it still felt comfortable.

The older man had been earnest with Suzaku – a lifetime of preparation for politics could tell him that. The boy wanted to believe that what Setsuna had said was wrong, but somewhere inside he could hear those words echoing.

_We fight to create a world where everyone can understand each other._

The boy wanted to believe in Celestial Being. He wanted them to create that world; a world that he too sought. But did it have to be this way? Killing innocent soldiers in the name of esoteric ideals? Perhaps...

"There you are!"

Nunnally tackled Suzaku from behind. By the time the boy had come to his senses, he was already pinned against the wall. Nunnally was hugging him tightly around the arms and waist. She had been incorrigible since she got the use of her legs back, causing mischief through the base. More often than not, she dragged C.C. along with her. Which meant...

Sure enough, C.C. was standing at the doorway of the lounge area. She had an expression on her face that Suzaku could only describe as amused weariness. She drifted into the room and said,

"Nunnally, I think that Suzaku would like the use of his arms back."

"He doesn't mind," said Nunnally, making puppy-dog eyes at the boy, "Do you, Suzaku?"

Suzaku tried to reply. He really did. Unfortunately, all that came out of his mouth was a sound somewhere between a coo and a whimper. Nunnally had him trapped.

"Very well then," said C.C. , gaining everybody's attention,"You can keep him if you can get him to come with us."

"You don't mind, do you, Suzaku?", said Nunnally.

"I guess not," replied Suzaku, as he turned to face C.C., "Where are you going?"

"Mister Tieria is letting us have a go on the Gundam simulators," Nunnally said, "He says that if we do that, we'll see what me means about them not just being war machines. And, Lelouch is going to meet us there!"

Suzaku went quiet for a moment as he thought about Mr. Erde. The man had taken responsibility for the children since they had arrived. Lelouch and Nunnally loved him, and even Suzaku begrudgingly admitted that he liked the man. Tieria had a way with children: an air of never-ending patience. Perhaps he should see what Tieria meant.

"Suzaku? Have you gone to sleep?"

Suzaku was brought back to reality by Nunnally's cheery voice. He gave her a soft smile and said, "No! I was just... collecting my thoughts!"

The girl chuckled as she kicked off a nearby wall and dragged Suzaku towards the door. She said, "You don't mind coming with us, do you?"

"Okay, I guess. I'll come with you, if Miss C.C. doesn't mind"

C.C. replied by saying, "I don't. Now, lets get going."

In a matronly manner, C.C. reached over and took the two children by the hand. She gently pulled them into the corridor, and started to lead them towards their destination. For the first time in a long time, Suzaku felt at home.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Britannia, the work day was nearly over. The employees of Fereshte Tower were dragging themselves away from their work, and leaving the office for another day. Everyone was glad to be returning home after another day: from secretaries to Krung Thep engineers, there was not a soul who wasn't happy to get some well earned rest.

Perhaps this is why there were still a select group of people inside the tower. On one of the highest floors, the CEO, Lyle Dylandy, looked out over the city of Pendragon. He watched as everyone scuttled out of his building – if one could call it that, given what it truly was – and prepared for his final meeting of the day.

Unlike his other meetings, this wasn't about business or industry. He didn't have to worry about company politics or official mandates. No, this was a meeting about Celestial Being.

Lyle heard a beep come from his desk, and walked over to it. He opened up the radio channel to his Personal Assistant's desk, and said,

"Has our guest arrived, Anew?"

There was a moment of static before the answer came,

"He has, _Mister Dylandy_. I'll send him in."

Lyle smirked at his wife's forced formality before saying, "Okay. Meet me in here with him."

The channel went to static, and Lyle turned away. He straightened up the place – heaven knows that Anew would have his head if he didn't tidy his office. He quickly moved everything into its proper place, rather than the organised chaos it was after most days.

The office door opened, allowing Anew Dylandy and Billy Katagiri into the room. The two took seats on the opposite side of Lyle's desk.

"Hello, you two. Can I offer either of you a drink?"

Both declined – after all, they still had things to do. Lyle walked over to his chair, but didn't sit. Putting his hands on the desk, he decided to speak first,

"So, Mister Katagiri, to what do I owe the visit? As I understand it, the head of Krung Thep should be quite busy."

The man in question pulled a wry smile, and – in matching tone – said, "I've come to give you a report, Mister Stratos."

Lyle grimaced and sat down. He had a bad feeling about this meeting. Especially today, on Celestial Being darkest anniversary.

Billy took this as his cue to start speaking, "My principle purpose here is to inform you and the rest of the council about my division's projects. The final Mass Driver has cleared its final stage of testing, and is ready for use."

"Excellent," said Lyle. While Billy prattled on about unimportant details, Lyle thought about the – to him – bizarre concept that was the Mass Drivers. The Mass Drivers had been a considerable effort, but they had been worth it. Given that Celestial Being couldn't use Space Elevators anymore – they are, after all, a covert operation – they needed a easy way of getting into space. Thus, the Mass Drivers had been implemented.

Originally designed by Aeolia Schenberg, the Mass Drivers had been planned to be used as a means of accessing space. Celestial Being had thought them unnecessary when they could use the space elevators, but now they were proving their worth.

Each Driver used a pair of rails to super-accelerate their payload into the lower atmosphere. This provided a quick, covert and versatile method of accessing space. After the success of the prototype, Celestial Being decided to create a network of five Drivers for rapid access between bases.

Lyle's train of thought was interrupted by Billy's voice saying, "You are paying attention, aren't you, Mister Stratos?"

Lyle shook his head, "I'm afraid my thoughts wandered. Please, leave the written report on Anew's desk."

A silence fell over the group. The evening sun was now sending out its last light before night fell. No-one present wanted to bring up the elephant in the room, but each knew that it needed to be mentioned. After a while, Anew said,

"You know, Mina will be expecting you back soon, Mister Katagiri. None of us would want to spend tonight alone, with our memories."

The man in question turned to face Anew. As he stood up, he said, "Indeed. Heaven knows, I have enough to I don't want to think about tonight. An angry wife is a bridge too far."

Lyle interjected by saying, "Marvellous advice. I'll have it put on a plaque in the foyer."

The men laughed, and Anew started blushing. With a few parting words, Billy left the CEO's office. Anew turned towards Lyle.

"It was nice to see him again. Are you done for the night, dear?"

Lyle shook his head. He said, "No, I have a few more papers to sign. You head home by yourself, I'll be about an hour. Oh, and I have a video call to make."

The Innovade nodded, kissed her husband on the cheek, and left the room. Lyle waited a few minutes, then went over to his communicator and entered a number.

It was time to have a little word with Setsuna.

* * *

C.C. liked to think that she was using Celestial Being for her own ends. But she knew that the truth wasn't that simple.

She had just reached the simulator room when this thought crossed her mind. Suzaku and Nunnally were hanging off of her hands, and she gently ushered them into the room. Inside, the room was quite large, with four large metal cubes with open sides. C.C. noticed that no-one was here already: Lelouch and his escort would be arriving shortly, then.

Suzaku and Nunnally had floated over to one of the simulators, getting close to have a good look. They were undeniably streamlined – inside, they were basically a Gundam cockpit with doors on the sides.

This only served to remind C.C. of what she was doing. Despite Tieria's spin on the matter, the children were here to learn how to pilot Gundams. It left a bit of a bitter taste in her mouth, even though she'd seen worse in her extended lifespan.

"Don't break it, you two," said C.C., as Suzaku and Nunnally started touching the machine, "I'll tell you how to use them when the others get here."

As if on cue, the room's door opened. The self-proclaimed Lelouch Lamperouge entered alongside his escort, Patrick Mannequin. The were in the middle of a conversation,

"...just don't see why you don't design new ones."

"Lelouch, it takes a lot of work to design Gundams. It takes far less work to improve existing designs."

Suzaku – in a deadpan tone – said, "It's good to see you too, Lelouch."

The two new arrivals looked into the room, and the younger was taken aback by Suzaku's presence.

"Suzaku? What are you doing here? I mean, you're usually sulking around this time of day."

"Day? We're in orbit around the moon."

Lelouch huffed and said, "You know what I mean."

Patrick had made his way over to C.C.'s side of the room, while Lelouch drifted over to Suzaku and Nunnally. The girl had already latched herself to her brother with gusto, while he'd started stroking her head. Suzaku sighed and said, "I... I'm tired of moping around all the time. Okay? I thought I might as well learn something."

Nunnally cut across Lelouch as she said, "We don't mind, do we, big brother."

Lelouch would have answered with words, but he had made the amateur mistake of looking at Nunnally's face. He had been trapped in the puppy-dog eye trap, from which there is no escape.

As Suzaku tried and failed to not laugh, Patrick and C.C. started talking,

"Excellent tactician you have there, Patrick."

"He's only ten, C.C. What were you doing at that age?"

The woman sighed and said, "You're right. What are we doing, training them for war?"

The red haired man looked her in the eyes and said, "They are the future. I know it hurts – I mean, my son is Nunnally's age. But if we don't prepare them, then the world will be a worse place for it."

"But I have seen otherwise," C.C. said as she turned away and sighed, "In all my life, I have never seen something good come from using children as Soldiers."

"Setsuna was a child soldier. So was Aeolia Schenberg. Are you saying you don't think Celestial Being is good!"

C.C.'s eyes widened at this information. She started saying, "Of course it's good! I was just say...ing..."

She trailed off as she realised what she was saying. How did Patrick get her so worked up? Over such a minor thing, no less. Why did she feel uncomfortable having her loyalty questioned, when she could keep a cool head in similar situations in the past.

C.C. looked up, only to see Patrick trying to separate the children. Apparently, the two boys had tried to hit each other – hardly a good idea in zero gravity. C.C. stepped in, and started trying to cool them down.

After a few minutes, the children had managed to cool down somewhat. Lelouch and Suzaku were still giving each other evil eyes, but C.C. could tell that both were doing it in jest. Eventually, she and Patrick managed to get them into separate simulators, and get everything started up.

"We've loaded up the data for the Plutone," said the pseudo-teacher Patrick, "Just try to walk about."

As each child started to learn how to use a Gundam, C.C. leaned against the wall. Of course, she was already well versed in the art of Gundam Piloting; she was focusing on not going over and start back-seat... driving? Anyway, she watched as the three of them started to figure out how to walk forwards without falling over. She closed her eyes, and thought about Mr. Mannequin's words.

As if on cue, the man settled by her side. He opened his mouth, closed it again, the opened it again to say,

"They're naturals at this. No wonder Veda chose them. Still, I'm surprised Setsuna would arrange for this to happen today."

C.C. just nodded. Despite her cool demeanour, her mind was going into overdrive. When Patrick questioned her loyalty, it had cut far too deep for her liking. But why? She did like the vision of the world that Aeolia Schenberg outlined. She wished the organisation the best of luck, but she didn't want to be involved personally. She was just paying them back for rescuing her after she'd turned on the Ragnarok Initiative. That's what she told herself.

Nunnally burst out in jubilation, and Patrick went over to see what she'd done – some milestone in piloting skill. C.C. was just thinking about what she was going to do.

She was just using Celestial Being. Right?

She sighed. The witch needed to do something to take her mind off this. There was a free simulator left – perhaps she could use that to blow off steam. She quickly told Mr. Mannequin that she was going to do some practice. Despite his rather loud lamentation, she drifted over to the free simulator and loaded up her training programs.

It was only much, much later that C.C realised that using training as an outlet only encouraged her loyalty to Celestial Being. But by then, she didn't really mind anyway.

* * *

Inside _Celestial Being_, there was a room. It was large, and was one of few rooms with artificial gravity. The vessel's first master – Ribbons Almark - had used it as his master control room, while the ESF had turned it into the Captain's Quarters. Now, it was used as the main meeting room for the heads of Celestial Being.

The room was quite elaborate. In fact, it almost looked like the interior of a Palace. Marble columns, a set of comfy chairs and a balcony. Holographic flowers gave the impression that the room was built in a field, as well as hiding speedy exits and entrances to nearly every other part of the station.

Setsuna was standing on that balcony, watching various reports and statistics take the place of the flowers on the walls. He leaned on the platform railing, taking all the information in and making a dozen judgement calls about what to do next.

Behind him, he heard the whirring of a door opening. He heard a familiar set of footsteps, and deduced the identity of his visitor. Setsuna didn't even break his concentration as he told Tieria Erde,

"Report."

The spymaster responded by saying, "Your plan has gone off well, Setsuna."

Setsuna raised his hand, and the data on the walls cleared away. He said, "Care to give me a breakdown, Tieria?"

"Recruitment is moderately successful. Suzaku had started interacting with the crew, and Nunnally is beginning to show a desire to act. In addition, C.C.'s loyalty is being reinforced through her affection for our recruits."

Setsuna nodded, so Tieria continued, "Furthermore, the first ability tests have given positive results. Both of the candidates have exceeded Veda's predictions. Lelouch was also tested, and has been noted on our backup Meister list."

Setsuna hummed in response. These were excellent results. With this, most of the skill-intensive roles inside the Celestial Being main force filled. It would only be a matter of training before the armed interventions could begin, instead of decades.

That just left the final Meister. He had considered C.C.'s contractor, Mao, but trusted Allelujah's suggestion against such an idea. The agents and Observers were on the lookout for the final Meister. This meant that soon, they would need a crew for the next Ptolemeios. Speaking of which...

"How are the Gundam redesigns going?", asked Setsuna.

Tieria smirked a little as he said, "Well. The good Mister Mannequin has done some good work. The units have been reduced in size by about a quarter, allowing for better combat against the emergent Knightmare Frames. The Gundams still maintain a threefold size advantage. Furthermore, the situational packs have been tuned to these new specifications."

"Thank you, Tieria," said Setsuna, "I'll need to call a meeting as soon as possible. Can you arrange that?"

Tieria was about to respond when one of the walls suddenly blurred and turned into static. Within a moment, the face of Lyle Dylandy came into view.

"Hey there, you two. You okay?"

After a moment to recover from the surprise, Setsuna responded by saying, "Lockon. Is there any reason for this call?"

"Aye, there are. Firstly, I wanted to report on the formal completion of the Mass Driver network."

Setsuna smirked a little – more excellent news. In fact, today was proving to be a veritable cornucopia of success. The Meisters, the GN Drive delivery, the Mass Drivers...

"Excellent. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

The image of Lyle Dylandy sighed and looked directly towards Setsuna. He said, "You know why I'm calling, Setsuna. I just... I want to know you're all right."

Setsuna scowled at his friend, and Tieria grimaced. Both of them knew the date, and the dreadful anniversary attached to it. Setsuna had hoped that if he kept himself preoccupied, he wouldn't have to think about it. Everything that had happened today had been to distract him.

The anniversary of the final battle with the ELS, the Quantum Shift, and – in a sickening twist of fate – Operation Fallen Angels.

"I... I'm fine, Lyle. I've been trying not to think about it."

Lockon sighed as he said, "You're right. It's just... a hard time of year. For all of us. Speaking of which..."

On the other side of the room, the holographic field of flowers transformed into the image of Allelujah Haptism.

"Good Evening, everyone," he said, in a dry tone, "I see the gang's all here."

Setsuna sighed – he was too sober for this conversation – and said, "Good evening, Allelujah. It has been far too long since we've all talked."

An awkward silence filled the chamber. The two who were actually in the room descended from the balcony, and sat down on a rather central couch. Slowly, Allelujah opened his mouth and said, "I know that... none of us want to talk about it, but... Setsuna, you know what day it..."

"I'm fine, Allelujah. Worry about yourself and your family."

"...You know, none of us left behind as much as you did. We're worried..."

"I'm fine!", Setsuna all but shouted. Understandably, no-one quite believed him. After a few moments under their sceptical gaze, he said,

"You're all right. I'm sorry. It's just...", Setsuna paused as he tried to articulate himself, "I always feel like... we abandoned them."

Lyle gave a sympathetic grimace, "You mean Marina, and Saji, and his girlfriend?"

"I mean everyone. Humanity looked to us in their hour of need, and we betrayed them. We abandoned them."

After a few moments, Lyle broke the silence by saying, "You know, for the longest time I felt like I'd abandoned Anew. It was... difficult. But in the end, I had to let it go."

Allelujah continued the point, "After the shift, Harute's communication systems were down. It took months for us to find you, and we felt like we had been abandoned. We found you, though. Everything had a happy ending."

Setsuna's expression curdled at that. He was about to speak when Tieria mentioned his regret, "I miss Neil."

The silence that followed was extraordinary in its length, depth and awkwardness. Everyone was lost in their memories when Setsuna said,

"Truly, we are no longer worthy of being Gundam Meisters. Is that not why we are passing on our mantle?"

Everyone winced at that comment, but no-one denied it. They once again settled into silence, entering a quiet gladness for the company in their darkest hour. After a good half hour, Lyle decided to speak.

"I should go. There are still some forms that need signing tonight. Plus, Anew is expecting me back soon. An angry wife is a bridge to far, tonight," he said, smirking at some private joke. Within a few moments, the image of Lyle Dylandy flickered out and was replaced by familiar flowers.

"Me too," said Allelujah, "I need to go and deal with Aiday."

"Go take care of your family, Allelujah," said Setsuna, "You too, Tieria."

Allelujah disconnected, and Tieria bid his friend adieu. And only then, when he was truly alone, did Setsuna let himself mourn his never-to-be friends.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Hi! Sorry this chapter took so long, but rest assured that it won't happen again.

Firstly, I want to give a BIG thank you to everyone who favourited, followed and reviewed. It's amazing how far this fic has come, compared to others that have been around for years. Once again, I stress that reviews and constructive criticism are the best ways to get me to both work faster, and improve the story.

Secondly, I'd like to give a shout out to Sky EXE and his latest story, 00 Witches. I've heard it said that you haven't succeeded on the internet until someone's copied you, and while that's a little harsh, he does credit me as an inspiration. He does good work, and if you're into the Strike Witches fandom (unlike me), I'm told it's an excellent crossover in the works.

Thirdly, the story content. What would you guys like to see more of? Do you want more action? More romance? Do you want me to just get to the armed interventions already? Tell me in the reviews section, or PM me. For the record, I'm currently planning a couple more chapters of Act 1 (Set up) before the timeframe of R1 (Act 2: Elimination)

Thanks as always, and I hope to see you when the next chapter comes out!

**EDIT**: I only just realized that the first paragraph had been chopped off when putting this online. Now fixed.

**Writing Notes**: Each chapter name is a reference to both Gundam 00 characters, and the contents of the chapter. For example, Operation Almark is all about recruiting to Celestial Being. This chapter is Operation Crossroad as a reference to being convinced to fight for Celestial Being. Speaking of names, Allelujah's daughter; she exists to be part of the next Ptoly's crew. Her name is from Kazakhstan - Allelujah's official nationality - which means 'Moon Child'. So yeah.

Next time, We see more of the world Celestial Being wants to change. Li Xingke joins the Meisters, and we get our first glimpse of this team's Gundams!


	3. Act 1: Operation Wang

**Disclaimer**: This is a fan-made crossover story. All non-original content belongs to the current IP owners.

* * *

As a nation, Britannia was in love with pomp and circumstance. The royals would frequently host balls and dances, where they would meet and plot together. Every act of Government had some corresponding rites or ceremony. The nobles lived their lives in one gigantic string of preselected responses; and where the nobles led, the commoners followed.

Therefore, one can imagine the response to Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia being declared Missing, Presumed Dead. One could be mistaken for thinking that they had died; ongoing media coverage, public eulogies and a formal 'funeral'. All in the name of Ceremony.

To one Cornelia li Britannia, it was all a massive insult. Lelouch and Nunnally had always been people of action; all these empty words were an insult to their memory. In their memory, she had assumed control of the final charge to take Japan. Now it was under Britannian control; 'Area 11' had even been stripped of it's name. Britannia could make the elevens suffer – surely that would have been what Lelouch and Nunnally would have wanted?

Yet, Cornelia would be remiss if she didn't take part in this bereavement extravaganza. After all, the royal family had certain expectations to meet. So it was completely unsurprising when she found herself invited to the farce that was Lelouch and Nunnally's funeral.

The pair would have wanted a small ceremony - but for Britannian royals, that just wasn't going to happen. Instead, the Royal Graveyard was opened up to outsiders for the day, and the massive festival of mourning defiled the most sacred of places.

On the day itself, the sky was suitably overcast. A barely-there sun looked over a pair of deep, dark, freshly dug graves. So many people came out of the woodwork to attend – beside Cornelia and her sister Euphemia, there were over a dozen of the notoriously changeable royal family in attendance. There were countless nobles and business leaders; not to mention countless news crews poised to provide coverage for the commoners.

It all made Cornelia a little sick.

The actual service was a farce. People who knew the siblings gave said some hollow words, and crocodile tears were shed. The heavens opened, and everyone rushed to put some empty (or as the media called them, _symbolic_) coffins into the ground. A few prayers were made, and everyone rushed for the post-funeral event in the imperial villa's main hall. Even the camera crews followed the crowd; within a few moments, only the true mourners were left.

This all led to Cornelia's first surprise of the day – the fact that the enigmatic CEO of the Fereshte corporation – Lyle Dylandy - was among the true mourners of Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia. Quite possibly the most mysterious man on Earth, was mourning for a pair of children he had never met. The man was just standing there, under an umbrella, lighting a cigarette.

Whilst Euphemia made small talk with a couple of the Lady Marianne's former retainers, Cornelia made her way over to the CEO. With all the gravity and elegance that her royal birthright and military rank could provide, Cornelia stood opposite the man.

"You," she said flatly, drawing the man's attention, "What are you doing here?"

Lyle took a long drag from his cigarette and – in a deadpan voice - said, "The pleasure's all mine, miss," a response which evidently annoyed Cornelia. He smirked and said, "I was invited, like everyone else."

"You know what I mean."

"Do I?", said the man. It was clear that he was enjoying this.

Cornelia, however, wasn't. An expression of annoyance flashed across her face as she said, "All of Lelouch and Nunnally's fair-weather allies have gone inside. Why do you insist on staying here?"

Lyle looked up at the sky, through his umbrella, and said, "It's fitting, isn't it? A downpour like this, at their funeral."

Cornelia, however, wasn't in the mood for this. She repeated her question, "Mister Dylandy, answer me. Why are you here?"

Lyle sighed, smoke trailing from his breath. He put out his cigarette, and put it back in his coat. Lyle turned towards Cornelia and said, "I met the two of them, once."

This statement was technically true. After all, he had seen them the last time he called the _Celestial Being_ vessel. The man continued, "They're nice people, and I miss them. Can't a man mourn in peace?"

This wasn't the answer Cornelia thought was coming. She had been expecting some trivial excuse about smoking indoors. She had been hoping for Lyle Dylandy to just be enjoying the quiet, and to be on his way. She hadn't been expecting some basic human decency from the man; a rare commodity in Britannia. She definitely hadn't been expecting that he had known the siblings.

This surprise must have shown, given that Lyle started chuckling at the sight. Cornelia's rage flared, and she had to resist the urge to lash out. She opened her mouth to say something, but Lyle cut across her. He reached out his hand, offering her his umbrella. He said, "Here, get under this. I don't want you to catch your death."

Despite Cornelia's rapidly growing dislike for the man, she took the offer; after all, she was already absolutely soaked. She got under the umbrella, close to Lyle. He glanced at her, then looked back to the graves.

This, she decided, was what she didn't like about Lyle Dylandy. He was two-faced, Cornelia decided. One moment her was enjoying getting a rise out of her; the next, he was solemn and sincere. More importantly, she couldn't get a read on what he was actually feeling; which, given her royal upbringing, should be impossible.

Her train of thought was interrupted by Lyle saying, "You thinking about those two, _Princess_?"

Cornelia barely resisted the urge to punch the man in the face right there. It wasn't the words – she was used to her title by now – it was the way he said it that provoked her. Despite this, Cornelia responded by lying, "Yes, I am."

"You never got to say goodbye, did you," said Lyle. For a moment, she could swear that she saw gold playing across the man's eyes. However, as soon as she'd noticed it, the effect was gone. Probably just a trick of the light.

This time, Cornelia answered honestly, "No. When they were exiled, I was away. Doing drills for the military," she said. She grimaced, "In retrospect, we were probably preparing for the invasion of Area 11. It's all their fault, you know. Lelouch and Nunnally's deaths."

Lyle's genial smile disappeared. Apparently, Cornelia had hit a nerve. He said, "How do you figure it's the Japanese's fault, _Princess_?"

Cornelia seethed from Dylandy's pet name for her, but continued anyway, "It's obvious. They killed Lelouch and Nunnally, so they should pay. In Blood. After all, those two were people of action. They wouldn't want these meaningless words, they'd want action."

Cornelia sighed, imagining the world she was describing. Vengeance, for the deaths of her beloved siblings. However, her mood was ruined by Dylandy's expression. It was the single action that caused her dislike of the man to become outright hatred.

Lyle Dylandy was disappointed in her.

Cornelia drew back her fist, but was interrupted before she could strike the CEO. She heard a voice shout,

"Cornelia li Britannia!"

Her little sister, Euphemia, was stomping towards Cornelia and Lyle with all the authority a nine year old could muster. It was clear that she had been crying – most likely the retainers had set her off again, Cornelia thought. With an annoyed yet quivering voice, she said,

"Were you about to punch Mister Dylandy?"

She waited for a response, as Cornelia lowered her fist – she could never say no to her little sister. Cornelia took a deep breath, then said, "Only a little..."

Euphemia looked to be on the edge of recommencing her tears. She said, "Why would you do that? At a funeral, no less!"

Before Cornelia could respond, Lyle said, "Don't worry, Lady Euphemia. Your sister and I were merely having a... difference of views."

Euphemia turned to face Lyle, "Mister Dylandy? I haven't seen you in months. What are you doing here?"

Cornelia answered for him, "He was just getting some fresh air. You're leaving now, aren't you, Dylandy."

It wasn't a question. Lyle sighed, and thrust his umbrella towards Euphemia, "Take this, Lady Euphemia. I won't be needing it."

Euphemia took the umbrella's handle. The moment she had done so, Lyle turned his back on the sisters and walked away. He walked past the entrance to the Imperial Villa, and continued towards the gate. He turned around and shouted, "Don't forget to dry yourselves!", before disappearing around a corner.

Underneath the umbrella, Euphemia turned to face her older sister. She said, "Can we go in yet?"

Cornelia looked out towards the gate, before turning back towards the graves. She thought for a moment before she said, "Yes. Lets go."

For two years, this would be the last time Celestial Being tried to recruit a Gundam Meister. However, that all changed with a young man called Xingke...

* * *

**Quantum Shift  
Act 1**: Unification  
**Chapter 3**: Operation Wang

* * *

Under cover of dawn, Li Xingke walked through the halls of the Imperial Palace. It had not been more than five hours since he had survived an an attempt on his life – in part thanks to the intervention of Allelujah Haptism. He had decided to come here, and tell the Empress of his departure face to face. He had come straight from his apartment, and Allelujah had agreed to meet him here, once he was done.

Xingke was somewhat disappointed at the palace's security. On the other hand, it gave him time to think. He could think about what to say to his Empress. He could think about what the Eunuchs had done. But most importantly, he could think about the people he had just agreed to work with.

The good mister Haptism had told him a little about who Celestial Being were, on the way to the Palace. He had told Xingke about what the group stood for, and why they had chosen him. More importantly, they had told him about what they were. This all led Xingke to one conclusion - Celestial Being was awfully large for a group that no-one knew existed.

Fereshte Industries is very much a household name. They were best known for their high quality, low cost technological equipment and services; that, or for their ground breaking R&D departments. Not to mention their enigmatic CEO, Lyle Dylandy: a famous philanthropist with a mysterious lifestyle. Despite all of this, they never went public – remaining a private company to this day.

But to think that the entire company was a front for Celestial Being was a lot for Xingke to take in. After all, he happened to know that the Chinese Federation's Secret Service didn't even know the group's name; nor did they suspect that Fereshte was anything more than it seemed. Yet, the group had things like Mass Drivers and an Orbital Headquarters with a freaking death laser. Not to mention whatever secrets that Xingke didn't know about.

Xingke's thought snapped back to the present as he entered the final hall, attracting the attention of the two armed guards by Empress Tianzi's chamber doors. The two had barely had time to notice Xingke before he was next to them. The guards each drew their concealed pistols, but Li wasn't worried.

He brought his leg up and delivered a kick into the neck of the closer guard. As the man started to choke, Li stepped past him, in front of the second guard. The man tried to aim his pistol, bet Xingke grabbed the barrel and pushed the gun away. He quickly punched the second guard in the throat, and silenced him while Xingke knocked him out with a swift blow to the head. The entire engagement lasted no longer than a few seconds.

Xingke drew in a deep breath as he returned to his upright stance. The two men – now unconscious, but otherwise fine – lay at his feet. Carefully, he stepped over them towards the Empress' bed chambers. With care, he opened the door, taking care not to make any noise. He did not expect to have to immediately dodge a flying book. It wasn't even a hardback, or even that thick.

This train of thought, however, was interrupted by a tiny voice. It was came from the same place as the book, he realised, as it whispered, "Xingke?"

The man in question whipped his head to the left of him, looking for source of the voice. He was greeted with a vision of the young Empress Tianzi, in her bedclothes, standing next to her bed. Evidently, she had thrown the book.

Xingke's mind started whirring as he said to her, "Many apologies, my Empress. Did I wake..."

The man's question was interrupted, however, by the young girl wrapping her arms around his waist. She voice was quivering as she said, "T-Thank goodness it's you. There was a f-fight outside a-and I thought it was going be a-an assassin again..."

At this point Li Xingke had some serious questions about Her Majesty's security, but chose not to mention them right now. Instead, he walked into the light of the window and said, "Well don't worry, Empress. It was only me. I wouldn't think of hurting you."

Tianzi seemed to calm down a little bit as Xingke stroked his hand through her hair. Eventually, she said, "Xingke, why are you here?"

Xingke winced at the wary tone in the Empress' voice. He swallowed his pride and said, "The Eunuchs have tried to assassinate me. I have to leave the Vermilion Forbidden City."

For a moment, Tianzi looked to be on the verge of tears. However, her eyes widened as she realised the implications of what Xingke had said. Slowly, she took a deep breath and said, "A-Are you sure it was the Eunuchs?"

Xingke's silence as her only answer.

"Wu-Whenever someone tells me to stand up to the Eunuchs, they always end up disappearing. I was h-hoping that you were going to be different..."

Xingke put his arms around the girl. He said, quietly, "I'd never abandon you. I owe you my life, and I'm not going to waste that. I just... have to go for a while."

The Empress was crying. She sobbed as she said, "Th-That's what they all say..."

Xingke let go of Tianzi. He dropped onto his knees and lifted his little finger as he said, "Here. When I was young, this is how my family made promises. Take your little finger and hook it around mine."

She did so. Xingke gripped her with his little finger and said, "I will never, ever abandon you. I may not always be here with you, but I'll always be here," punctuating his final point by poking Tianzi in the heart with his free hand.

Without moving either of his hands, he said, "Now listen. What do you want more than anything?"

Tianzi looked at him with moist eyes and said, "I... I want to l-leave the Forbidden City. I don't want to have to worry for my life, every time I fall asleep."

Her last words were anguished and chocked, as tears rolled freely down her cheeks, "P-Please, Xi-Xingk-ke... Take me with you."

Silence reigned in the air after the declaration. Xingke wanted to say yes. He really, really did. But in his heart, he knew that he couldn't. He knew what the Empress had to do. He unlinked his finger from Tianzi's.

"I'm sorry," said Xingke, without a hint of falsehood in his voice, "But you have to stay here. This is where you're needed, even if you aren't wanted. It's because of you, and you alone, that China is safe from the Eunuchs."

The two looked at each other. Tianzi looked like a mess, with her crumpled bedclothes, frizzy hair and tear-streaked face. Xingke looked even worse, tired and covered in dried assassin blood. Neither of them noticed. They just looked at each other. Tianzi broke the silence.

"Da-ge," she said.

"Mei-mei," came the reply.

Outside, they could hear a small commotion. Apparently, someone had noticed Xingke's trail of unconscious guards. The man rose from his kneeling position. He said, "I have to go now. Don't forget, I'll always be with you."

Xingke opened the bedroom window as Tianzi said, "I-I'll see you again, won't I, da-ge?"

Xingke looked over at her, one leg already outside. He didn't even have to think before he said,

"I'll make sure of it. I'll be in touch. Stay here, fight the Eunuchs, and look after the people of China. I'll be watching over you, mei-mei," he said, the last words already feeling comfortable in his mouth.

Before Empress Tianzi could say anything else, Xingke had disappeared into the night. She could only look at where he had been, and think about what had just happened. She quickly dried her tears, and got ready for the next day's confrontation with the Eunuchs.

Mere metres away from the window, Xingke landed next to Allelujah Haptism. Apparently, the man from Kazakhstan knew what Xingke had come to the palace for. As the younger of the two got to his feet, Allelujah said, "Are you okay, Mister Li?"

Xingke looked at the man and said, "I've said what needs to be said. We shouldn't wait any longer."

Allelujah responded by gesturing Xingke to follow him, before starting to run. He said, "For her sake, or yours?"

Xingke moved after the man. He replied, "Both."

"Good answer," said the older man. The two continued to move in silence, remaining unnoticed. Eventually, Xingke said, "You know, I still don't know where you're taking me."

Allelujah gave a wan smile. He said, "Right now, we're headed out towards the mountains. When we get there, I'll be taking you to the Pacific Mass Driver using Harute."

The two descended back into silence as they rushed through the Vermilion Forbidden City. So it was that, to China in general, Li Xingke disappeared into the night.

* * *

Thirty-seven thousands of miles away, behind the moon, rested the _Celestial Being_ Space Station. Its position at Lagrange Point 2 allowed to to stay still in its position over the lunar surface, without the need for propulsion. This allowed the Station to utilise the GN Optical Colloid System to remain invisible.

Within the bowels of this station, however, there was a girl. She was sitting in a kitchen-diner connected to five bedrooms. One was hers, while another was unoccupied – for now. The other three were used by her brother, her godmother and her best friend. She wasn't a terribly extraordinary girl, except for the royal blood, living in space and being trained to pilot a massive mecha in the name of peace. Her name was Nunnally Lamperouge.

She offered a silent prayer of thanks for artificial gravity as she buttered her toast. After all, no-one had forgotten what had happened when she'd tried to do it without gravity. She was about to tuck in when she heard a ding from a wall terminal. That meant that stuff was happening. She turned to face the terminal when she heard a whooshing sound from the bedroom corridor's door.

"Do you know what's going on," asked Suzaku Kururugi, as he entered the room.

As she took a bite out of the toast, Nunnally said, "Not yet. Where's Lelouch?"

"Tactical Simulators, no doubt," Suzaku said, standing next to the wall terminal. Nunnally walked up next to him as he said, "He's probably listening to the message already."

Suzaku punched in a code, and a holographic representation of Tieria's head appeared from the terminal. It said, "Suzaku, Nunnally. I've got some good news for you two."

The two children looked at the terminal expectantly. Suzaku said, "Is it important enough to interrupt breakfast?"

The man smiled. He said, "I'd say so. You see, Allelujah has selected the last Meister," a statement that produced a gasp from Nunnally. Unfortunately, this meant that she started choking on her toast. Tieria went quiet as Suzaku helped her cough it up. After a few moments, once Nunnally had recovered, the man said, "If you're alright, Nunnally, I'll continue,"

"You see, we've run preliminary scans on him through Veda's sensors. Using this data, we've been able to complete the Gundam allocation. Meaning..."

Suzaku finished the statement with a grin on his face, "We've been assigned our Gundams."

"Correct," said Tieria, "I'll tell you if you come to the hanger when we receive the last Meister. Tomorrow, at noon, in hanger bay 3. I'll see you there."

Without another word, Tieria's head flickered out of existence. This left the two to contemplate what they had just been told.

"So," said Nunnally, "we've been given our Gundams..."

"Let me guess," said Suzaku, "You're having doubts about Gundam."

The child nodded. Suzaku said, "Listen, Nunnally. We all know that you're the pacifist among us. But like we always say, we have to fight for what we believe in."

Nunnally immediately responded, "It's not that. You see how I sight when we train together. I can fight without killing too much. It's just, Celestial Being is giving a ten year old girl the keys to a war machine."

At this point, Suzaku was about to make a counter-argument. However, the door next to the wall communicator whirred open to reveal C.C.

Suzaku turned around to look at her and said, "C.C., have you heard..."

However, the woman interrupted him by saying, "Nunnally, we're not forcing you to do anything. If you asked, we would take you back to earth right now. So if you don't want to pilot Gundam, why are you still here?"

This silenced the children for a moment, before Nunnally said, "Because I want to stand for what Gundam stands for. I just wish there was a more peaceful way."

C.C. smiled gently at this. She said, "That's a tautology," before realising she had to clarify for the children, "I mean, those two things are contradictory. Gundam exists to create the peaceful path for change."

"So I hope you realise, Nunnally," said C.C., "That we're in a minority. The people that will fight for peace. That's why we believe that the innovation of humanity is the only way that Aeolia's Principles can be fulfilled."

Nunnally seemed to accept this answer. She nodded and said, "You're right, god-mum. Sometimes I forget that. Want some toast?"

Suzaku, however, was a lot more quiet. He slowly thought about what C.C had said. As C.C. buttered her toast, he said, "You didn't answer me earlier. Have you heard the news?"

"Yes, I have," answered C.C., "about the Gundam assignments. I've been tipped that I'm assigned to the new Dynames."

"I hope I get Exia," said Suzaku, "I like getting up and personal with the sword. That or Kyrios."

"No, Virtue is the best," said Nunnally, "It's great for forcing bailouts."

C.C. watched as the two started arguing. She reminded her of back when she was a mother, with all the vitriolic arguing. She wished Lelouch was here. To be brutally honest, C.C. thought, she wished that thinks could stay this way forever. But of course, nothing lasts forever. Not even her.

* * *

Back on Earth, in Area 11, Tieria's eyes opened. He was in the back of a car – a rather expensive one by all appearances. Next to him was a hooded woman with barely-showing lilac hair – his friend's wife, Anew Returner. The two of them didn't see eye to eye on many matters, but today they had a mission.

She looked over at him and said, "Done with Veda for now, Mister Erde?"

"Yes. I just had to touch base with... your husband's successors," he replied, keeping his terminology vague. After all, spying ears were everywhere. Case and point, he could tell that their chaffer was trying to look like he wasn't listening in on their conversation.

Tieria looked out of the window, only to find mist and smog. He couldn't even see the road. He decided to ask, "Anew, can you tell me what happened while I was out?"

"Well," she started, "We've mostly been driving around in the smog. I have the feeling that our hosts don't want us to know where we are."

Tieria nodded. After all, resistance groups have to be very careful. He decided to say to the driver, "Sir, can you tell us how much longer this will take?"

The man in question took a few seconds to realise that the question was directed at him. He said, "We will be arriving at the destination in a few moments."

Tieria nodded. Only a few moments later, the smog outside gave way to the interior of a tunnel. The lights fluttered past them as the car kept going. Tieria didn't react, he just closed his eyes and feigned sleep. It made him look less alert and ready than he really was, not to mention the fact that he needed the rest.

Eventually, the car shuddered to a stop. Tieria opened hie eyes, and say that the car was on what could best be described as a car lift. He looked over at Anew, who subtly rested her hand on her hip, over her gun. Tieria didn't need to check his – as a former Gundam Meister, he was used to danger.

The lift slid to a halt, and the driver got out. He opened the car doors for his two passengers, who got out. Tieria noticed the four guards in suits sent to 'escort' them. It looked like the Kyoto Group weren't taking any chances.

The two stood upright, making sure that no-one saw Anew's face. She needed to be here, since she'd be handling these dealings remotely once the first meeting was finished. Unfortunately, her face was famous enough that she would be recognised if she wasn't careful. Hence, she had spent the journey hooded.

The guards formed up around the two, and indicated the way that they should go. It left Tieria very much on edge – they were walking into the lion's den. But on the other hand, it was hard enough to get a meeting with the Kyoto Group with these terms. It would be a nightmare to try and get a preferential encounter.

Eventually, the convoy reached the destination – the Group's Council Chamber. The doors opened, allowing Tieria and Anew to enter the room. There were many features about the chamber that might draw the eye – the window out of the side of Mt. Fuji, the meeting tables or stolen Knightmare Frames – but the guest's attention was drawn to the man sitting on the opposite side of the room.

The old man in question was flanked by guards. He was sitting, with his face covered by a barely-translucent veil. In theory, it allowed people to see that he was there without revealing his identity. However, in this situation this was entirely unnecessary. Tieria and Anew already knew that the man - one of the heads of the Kyoto Group – was in fact the CEO of Kirihara Mining, Taizo Kirihara.

So it was that the two innovades were surrounded by six armed guards, without any backup, to see an old man who man considered a traitor. Taizo Kirihara had, of course, pretended to side with Britannia when they conquered Japan, while simultaneously funding the resistance. Which was what brought Anew and Tieria here.

"So," the old man started to say, "I am led to believe that you have sought out a meeting with the House of Kyoto."

"Indeed, honourable sir," said Tieria, "We have. If you might allow us to explain our purpose..."

"I will," said Kirihara, "If you would be so kind as to do away with all the formality. Speak without deceit, young one, and I will hear your voice all the louder."

The innovades smiled at his – it was a world view that they could agree with. To this end, Tieria said, "Very well. We have come to offer you a trade."

The old man raised his eyebrow. He said, "Oh? And what leads you to believe that the Houses of Kyoto would be interested in your proposition."

"Because," said Tieria, "Our organisation is willing to offer you a considerable technological boon for a relatively minor service."

Kirihara seemed intrigued, and said, "If you believe this to be the case, then would you be so kind as to tell me what you propose?"

Anew took her turn to speak, "Our organisation is willing to offer the Houses of Kyoto several custom built Knightmare Frames, and can trade the secret to Enriched-Steel armouring. We can also provide a significant amount of money over time."

Were he not trained for the life of a politician, Kirihara would be salivating at the thought of this deal. They were low on Knightmares and Money as it was. After all, reverse engineering was expensive, and only starting to yield rewards. Not to mention Enriched-Steel armouring – harder and lighter than titanium, almost a full fifth as hard as the legendary E-Carbon of Fereshte. But, he knew, there would be a reason for this generosity.

"I highly doubt that you would do this out of the goodness of your heart, young one," said Kirihara.

Anew nodded, "Unfortunately so. In return, we wish to be able to select a few resistance groups for backing."

At the old man's raised eyebrow, Anew felt compelled to elaborate, "We seek to use the Japanese resistance as a recruitment bed. By making this deal with the Kyoto Group, we seek to accomplish this aim as well as supporting a good cause."

This deal was suspiciously good. Kirihara decided to clarify, "You mentioned Knightmares. You're Britannian."

It wasn't a question. As the guards realised this, they drew and trained their guns on the innovades.

"I'm not," said Tieria, "Although my colleague is. Our organisation is multinational."

The guards lowered their weapons as Kirihara said, "Ah. That explains much. Although, you have yet to mention your much-vaunted organisation's name."

Tieria smiled and said, "I'm afraid that we value our privacy greatly. I can only tell you that we partially operate inside Fereshte Industries, Taizo Kirihara."

The old man tensed at the use of his name by the stranger, while his guards once again took aim at the pair. While Anew almost reached for her gun, Tieria grabbed her arm and smiled. He said, "I apologise for the infiltration of your privacy, Lord Kirihara. We had to ensure that your Group was trustworthy, and we discovered your identity in the process. We have limited the knowledge within our own organisation, and have exchanged the knowledge of our link to Fereshte. I hope that you find this acceptable."

Kirihara gestured his guards to holster their weapons, "As much as I dislike saying so, you are right. I would hope, however that you would be willing to trade something a little more substantial, information wise."

Anew said, "If you swear to uphold the secret, I will show my face to you, Lord Kirihara."

The old man nodded, finding this an acceptable trade. While the guards were on edge, Anew stepped past the curtain hiding Kirihara's face. As soon as the guards couldn't see her face, she drew back her hood. Evidently, Kirihara was surprised by what he saw.

"I see," he said, "I would not have expected someone like you to be supporting our cause. Although," he smiled, "At least now I understand your involvement in Fereshte."

Anew smiled and said, "Indeed. If it is agreeable to you, we will further arrange this deal through legal means. Fereshte will soon contact your company, seeking Sakuradite ore. We need it anyway, and I will be in charge of the dealings. Is this agreeable to you, Lord Kirihara?"

The old man nodded, "Very well then. I suppose that I will have to let you leave now. I'll have my guards escort you from this place."

The two innovades nodded. Anew returned her hood to its rightful place, and returned to Tieria's side. All six guards formed around the two, and escorted them through the door. Once again, Taizo Kirihara was alone in the room.

At least, he seemed to be. On the other side of the room, behind where the two innovades had stood, a segment of wall opened up. The other five members of the Kyoto Group emerged. They had been watching the encounter through a one-way mirror. While their young leader-in-training, Kaguya Sumeragi, launched herself at Taizo Kirihara, one of the other heads said, "Well that went well."

Kirihara ruffled Kaguya's hair as he said, "Indeed. While the security leak is unfortunate, I believe that they will uphold their offer. They did not have the aura of a Britannian."

While the first man grumbled about how he had intended to be sarcastic, Kaguya looked up at Kirihara and said, "Do you really think so? They seemed really secretive to me."

"They were. But, I can tell that they were people of their word. Besides, I know the woman's identity. That is insurance enough," said Kirihara. The other heads clearly disagreed.

Which was probably why, in five years time, Kirihara would enjoy rubbing their faces in it so much.

* * *

Looking over the main hanger of _Celestial Being_, inside the control room, was the floating figure of Lelouch Lamperouge. From here, he could watch the airlock for the arrival of the last Meister, without the need for a Normal Suit. But, Lelouch now realised, he now had a fair it of waiting around to do. So it was that Lelouch Lamperouge was left alone with his thoughts.

He started to think about how his life had changed, since Celestial Being had taken him in. For one, he was now a lot more accustomed to zero and low gravity. He was no longer affected by the Britannia royal family's scheming, and yet he now knew more about tactics than ever before. Nunnally was healthy and happy, and they had their best friend and godmother by their side.

Despite all this, Lelouch had his misgivings about Celestial Being. Sure, he wanted to create the world envisioned by Aeolia Schenberg, but did they have to use him as a child soldier? More importantly, did they have to use Nunnally? After all, Lelouch reasoned, only those prepared to die should kill. Why did Setsuna F. Seiei abandon being a Gundam Meister, and select others in his place?

Lelouch turned around at the sound of the door opening. He was greeted by the sight of his sister, along with C.C. and Suzaku. She floated towards him and said, "Big Brother!"

Lelouch smiled as he kicked away from the ground and tackled her with a hug. They floated in the air for a moment, before Lelouch quietly said, "Nunnally. How are you?"

"I'm fine, big brother," she said, "We were just talking about the Gundam allocation."

Lelouch's smile faded, "Yes. Those are today, aren't they?"

Nunnally nodded, so Lelouch continued, "You know, once you're allocated, you can't turn back. Are you sure..."

Nunnally sighed and said, "Lelouch, we've been over this a million times. It's like we were just saying, it's not something any of us want to do. But if we can do the right thing, then we should. Because we're the only ones who can."

Lelouch looked at her solemnly, "Nunnally, I love you. I don't want you to do anything you don't want to."

"You man that you don't want me to."

Everyone in the room, including Nunnally, winced at what she had said. Lelouch, with a touch of annoyance in his voice, said, "Really? Are you prepared to kill for the Aeolia Principles? Are you prepared to die for them?"

Suzaku was about to say something, but C.C. clamped her hand over his mouth as Nunnally said, "I don't want to. But we're going to be fighting for a world without fighting. A world where we can truly understand each other. A world without conflict. If I can make that world real, then I would happily die."

Lelouch was taken aback at the well thought out answer. He couldn't really argue with any of what she'd said. While he was unhappy about it, Lelouch bit back his pride and said, "You're right, Nunnally. I'm sorry. It's just," said Lelouch, as he started to tear up, "I just... don't want to lose you. I love you."

Nunnally just nodded at this. The two of them hugged, eliciting an 'aww' from the other occupants of the room. After a few moments, the two released each other and smiled.

Unfortunately, this tender moment was not to last. The door opened to reveal Setsuna, who floated in, arms laden with child-sized space suits. He said, "They're nearly here. Put on these Normal suits. We'll go and greet them."

The children did as they were told, while C.C. and Setsuna went to fetch adult sized suits. Within a few moments, the children had changed and entered the main hanger.

With a low rumble, the airlock started to open. Slowly, it revealed the form of Harute, the personal Gundam of Allelujah Haptism. Once the aperture was large enough, the machine entered the hanger. After a few moments, the GN Drive on its back stopped, followed by the cockpit opening. Inside, there was a man in an orange pilot-type Normal suit, along with another man that the children had never met.

Allelujah reached out and helped Xingke out of the Harute's cockpit. The latter of the two was clearly struggling with the lack of gravity. However, after a few moments, Allelujah had managed to get him out of the cockpit and over to where the children were standing.

"Hello there," Xingke said as he looked over the children, "I'm Xingke. Who are you?"

An excited Nunnally was the first to respond, "Hi! My name's Nunnally, and these are my big brother Lelouch and this is Suzaku. How are you, Mister Xingke?"

Xingke chuckled at the girl's antics. He said, "I'm fine. I don't suppose you'd know where I could find a certain man called Setsuna?"

"_I'm here,_" said Setsuna, as he walked into the room. Bizarrely, he was speaking in fluent Chinese. Since none of the children knew how to speak Chinese, they could only watch as Setsuna continued, "_I see you've met some of our trainees._"

Xingke looked back at the children, before calmly saying, "_These children? Why would you bring ones such as them into a war?_"

Allelujah sighed and said, "_They've suffered enough. We offered them the chance to prevent their misfortune from befalling others, and they gladly accepted. It's amoral, yes, but it's better than the alternative._"

Xingke could see the logic of such an argument, even if it didn't sit well with him. Nevertheless, he slipped back into English to say, "It still seems foolish to me."

Setsuna said, "We don't plan on commencing armed interventions for at least another six years. There is still plenty of time to train and grow," emphasising the last word.

Xingke sighed and said, "Very well then. I take it that you have arranged some form of accommodation for me?"

Setsuna nodded, "Correct. Allelujah will take your personal affect there. However, I would first like to escort you to the secondary hanger bay."

This earned a raised eyebrow from Xingke, "May I ask why?"

At this point, Nunnally interjected, "It's because of the Gundams, isn't it, Mister Seiei. You've decided who will pilot which."

Setsuna nodded, "If you will follow me."

Setsuna turned to leave the room, as Allelujah said, "I'll meet you in your room, Li. The children will know where it is."

Xingke nodded, and turned to see that Setsuna and the children had disappeared. Thankfully, C.C. had waited for him. She smiled and said, "Wanting for a guide, young man?"

Xingke said, "Older than you, my fair lady. Would you kindly lead the way."

The two left the central hanger – and a chuckling Allelujah – and started drifting through the annals of Celestial Being. Eventually, C.C. said, "You weren't thrilled about the children, were you?"

Xingke shook his head, "They're too young. They..."

C.C. interrupted him, "They're orphans. The Japanese boy was the last, of the Kururugi, and the other two were the vi Britannians. Although, they prefer the surname Lamperouge nowadays."

Xingke swallowed this information before saying, "I don't dispute that this is their battle. I merely say that they're too young for the battlefield."

"I agree. But as Setsuna said, we aren't planning any engagements for at least six years. That's plenty of time for them to have the. I wouldn't wish them any ill; they're like children to me," she said as she smirked menacingly, "And you're getting all paternal over them. Do you want to be the daddy to my mummy?"

Xingke actually blushed at that last comment. C.C. merely smiled and said, "You're going to be a treat. We're here."

She turned into a door, and Xingke followed. Inside, there was a large open space, along with four machines. Above them were plaques – they said, '01 – Exia', '02-Dynames', '03-Kyrios' and '04-Virtue'. It would appear that these were the so-called Gundams.

They were hard to describe. They stood three times taller than any Knightmare Frame, and each had a distinctive colour-scheme. On their backs, there were vaguely triangular looking drives – although Virtue currently seemed to be lacking one. These were the Gundams for a new generation of Celestial Being.

"Welcome," said Setsuna, looking at the two arrivals, "I apologise for leaving you behind. Shall I begin?"

Everyone nodded, and so Setsuna continued, "These are the new Gundams, specifically designed for destroying Knightmare Frames. They are technically called the Neos line. However, they are mostly referred to by their original names."

Setsuna moved over to the blue Gundam. It was lightly armoured and had a massive physical sword. He said, "The Exia Neos has been retuned, and given more flexible armouring. It has internalised several exposed weak point, in the manner of the Repair II. It also has additional self-destructing GN Knives. This allows for the pilot to be able no longer worry about recovering their weaponry. Finally, it has been given a low-powered Trans-Am Raiser system. This Gundam had been assigned to Suzaku Kururugi."

The boy in question smiled – he had his preferred Gundam. C.C. gripped his shoulders and Nunnally gave him a thumbs up. After all, she was decidedly against the fighting style the Exia specialised in. Lelouch was already formulating strategies with Suzaku in Exia.

The man moved over to the green Gundam with a rifle and shoulder armour. He said, "The Dynames Neos has increased offensive output. Its shoulder shield has been reinforced, and also allows for storage of the GN rifle. It has also been equipped with multiple GN Grenades, and fitted with additional GN Missile Launchers. This Gundam is assigned to C.C."

The woman in question nodded – she had suspected that this would be her Gundam. That said, she could tell that Lelouch was disappointed. He clearly wanted his sister away from the fighting. Unfortunately, a little Mannequin with an overbearing wife had told her that Nunnally's assignment.

Setsuna continued, standing in front of the orange Gundam, "The Kyrios Neos has had its speed enhanced significantly. It has been fitted with additional GN Missile Launchers, and its GN Sub-Machine Gun has been optimised for additional firepower. This Gundam has been allocated to Li Xingke."

The man in question merely stared at the machine. This organisation was giving him control of this? If this was half the machine that Harute was, he could actually see Celestial Being succeeding in their aims. On the other hand, Lelouch was happier than he was a moment ago. He finally knew which Gundam his sister would pilot. At least she would be well protected.

Finally, Setsuna stopped on front of the black-and-white machine, "The Virtue Neos has been refitted for additional speed. It has been given a pair of GN Hand Cannons, which remain accessible in Nadleeh mode. It has also had its GN Bazooka equipped with a Trans-Am Blast mode, for additional firepower. This Gundam has been assigned to Nunnally Lamperouge."

Nunnally stared up at the machine. She couldn't have asked for a better Gundam. All she could say was, "Thank you, Mister Setsuna."

Setsuna indulged himself with a small smile. He said, "The operational manuals have been sent to your quarters. There will be a test piloting in one month. I will be in contact."

He turned to leave, "Li Xingke. I will contact you tomorrow about your lung treatment. Farewell."

Setsuna left the new Meisters and their Tactician. They had a lot to do and think about. He started to make his way back to his quarters. He would have to contact Lyle soon – he wanted the kids to spend at least some time living a normal life. They could be presented as apprentices for Fereshte, and sent to a school controlled by a Celestial Being agent. They could use the Ashford family – the daughter could be used as part of the new Ptolymeios crew, and there was a Fereshte plant nearby that could be used to store some simulators.

Setsuna arrived at his quarters. Within the artificial gravity, he poured himself a glass of raki. He sipped on the milky white booze, as he thought about the new Ptolymeios. He knew that he could put Aiday Haptism on the helm, and the Ashford girl could go on operations. Lelouch would captain, and he could get another few crew-members from the Japanese resistance. Put on Innovade or two on board for engineering support, and he had a crew.

Setsuna smiled. He would contact the Martian outpost about preliminary production within the week. They could use Martian materials for the inner frame, then finish fabrication at the moon base. The Ptolymeios II Kai design would be compatible with the new Gundams. But of course, a new ship would need a new name.

Setsuna gave a toast to a fallen friend, and the ship to be named in her honour. Verily, he had little doubt that the others would approve of the _Sumeragi_.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Hi! Sorry this chapter took so long. For what it's worth, I'm hoping to finish Act 1 next chapter. If all goes according to plan, I hope to have the first armed intervention published by the end of May. Since I'm proofreading after midnight, kindly PM me if you find any mistakes.

Once again, I encourage you to review, critique and message me. I promise, it all helps. Furthermore, I'd like suggestions as to who I should crew the Sumeragi with. Any help will be appreciated and credited in the fic itself. Finally, I should mention that in-universe, everyone is speaking English unless otherwise noted – just like in real anime, but with English instead of Japanese.

**Writing Notes**: This chapter is named after Wang Liu Mei, Celestial Beings chief financier. This is primarily due to this chapter's focus on the outside affects of Celestial Being's actions. Also, several characters act like dicks.

The scene with Tianzi begging Xingke to take her with him brought my writing to a halt for days. I honestly couldn't decide how he should answer. Eventually, I decided that keeping her where she is will be better for Act 3.

Finally, I should mention that the C.C./Xingke flirting will NOT be a one-time thing. Due to the story's premise, there will be crack-ish pairings that do make sense within the story. In this case, I reckon that those two characters would work well together, and here they'll be interacting regularly as opposed to their non-existent interaction in the show. For those who don't like my pairings, I apologise. I should also mention that canon pairings won't be defied, and that neither Setsuna or Lelouch are going to be decisively paired within this story.

Next time, the Gundams will have their first flight, and the Meisters will finally unite.


End file.
